All tall buildings have emergency stairs, evacuation is only as fast as the slowest person, so there is a tendancy for people to fall, get trapped under other people etc. So, why not have the stairs so that the treads are mechanically folded to form in effect a giant "Helter Skelter",when fire is detected, all the occupants can then happilly slide down to the safety of the ground floor.
-- Micky Dread, May 14 2003

Emergency Slide http://www.halfbake...a/Emergency_20Slide
[Shz, Oct 05 2004]

I hope that the staircase is a spiral one.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 15 2003


Can the stairwell be hand-painted in fake blood with such slogans as "piggies," "Rise" and other muderous Manson references?
-- snarfyguy, May 15 2003


I got splinters on my sphincter!
-- thumbwax, May 15 2003


Too many people would go back into the burning building for another go :)
-- friendlyfire, May 15 2003


//I hope that the staircase is a spiral one.//

Engineer: DOH!
-- FloridaManatee, May 15 2003


Them coconut skin mats would prevent splinters in the posterior, or make it a water slide (with rubber tyres) to aid escape AND combat the fire.
-- MikeOliver, May 15 2003


Used to see this in Looney Tunes cartoons all the time.
-- waugsqueke, May 15 2003


i think a water slide would better as in germany an excentric business own tried the slide and an older woman could not ride the slide as it was a fear of hers and she thought she wold hurt her self fortunaly it was only a test run and she wasn't hurt
-- Gash, May 15 2003


There would be no splinters at all, mats or no - after all, what kind of imbecile architect installs a wooden fire escape?
-- friendlyfire, May 15 2003


Someone who knows more about the Simpson's can refute this, but wasn't this used in a Simpson's Hallowe'en Special? - Bart pulls a lever marked "Super Happy Fun Slide" and some stairs transform into a spiral (<pedant>helical</pedant>) staircase.
-- hippo, May 15 2003


I wasn't aware splinters were restricted to wood...
-- MikeOliver, May 15 2003


Yes, hippo, that's right. It was in their fourth Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" first aired Oct 28 1993.
-- krelnik, May 15 2003


So long as Grace Jones isn’t operating the staircase (“View to a Kill” – 1985)
-- Shz, May 15 2003



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