Werner ESC220 Fire Escape Ladder, Two Story

by Werner

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

During a fire, every second counts. That's why the Werner ESC-220 Two-Story Fire Escape Ladder is made to help you and your family evacuate your home quickly. Designed for placement on your home's second story, this durable ladder installs in the wall below a window, so it's always ready to go and can never be misplaced.

ESC-220 Two-Story Fire Escape Ladder At a Glance Sturdy, easy-to-deploy ladder extends to 17' 2" Permanently installs to prevent loss or wasted time Supports up to 1,200 lbs. Made of heat-resistant nylon webbing Can be repacked and used for practice drills

Folds compactly into convenient compartment and extends to 17-feet 2-inches. View larger.

Nylon webbing and anti-slip flat rungs and stand-offs provide strength and durability. View larger.

When Every Second Counts
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, a small flame can grow out of control in 30 seconds, turning into a major fire that threatens serious injury or death. Moreover, most residential fires occur at night while we sleep, and they spread too quickly for the fire department to respond. For the best chance of survival, families need to be able to escape from an upstairs window within 30 seconds. The ESC-220 makes that possible.

Permanently Installs for Peace of Mind
In the event of an emergency, you need to secure your family, not your fire ladder. That's why the ESC-220 permanently installs into the wall below a second-story window. This clever design means you'll never spend wasted time trying to locate your emergency ladder. An added bonus, the ESC-220 blends with any décor, as it can be painted or wallpapered to complement your room.

User-Friendly Design is Strong and Heat Resistant
Because you have only seconds to exit a burning home, the ESC-220 is easy to deploy--it fully extends to 17 feet, 2 inches when the release tab is pulled.

This escape ladder is also incredibly strong and sturdy, with heat-resistant nylon webbing and anti-slip flat rungs and stand-offs. To help keep you steady, a helpful first-step assistance strap provides safety and stability.

What's more, the ESC-220 holds up to 1,200 pounds, which allows multiple family members and rescue professionals to use the ladder at the same time. And unlike one-time-use fire ladders, the ESC-220 can be repacked and used for practice drills.

About Werner: The Pros' Choice
Werner is a manufacturer and distributor of professional fiberglass, aluminum, and wood climbing equipment. With its beginnings as a floor covering and molding business, Werner has evolved over the past 60 years into a climbing equipment leader. Today, Werner ladders are found on more trucks and jobsites than all other ladder brands combined.

What's in the Box
ESC-220 Fire Escape Ladder; hardware assortment; installation template; and insulation sheet.

1. Open

2. Release

3. Escape

From the Manufacturer

The Werner Fire Escape Ladder is designed to help you and your family escape faster. It installs inside the wall, underneath a window in a second story home so it is always ready and can never be misplaced. In an emergency, you need to secure family, not your ladder. The ladder is easy to deploy and features a first-step safety assistance strap. When seconds count, the Werner Fire Escape Ladder helps you escape faster. 16 1/2-Inch (width) by 9 1/2-Inch (height) finished space.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 15.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0042HN26Q
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: ESC220
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,651 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #5 in Home Improvement > Safety & Security > Fire Safety > Fire Escape Ladders
  • #53 in Home Improvement > Building Supplies > Ladders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well in a drill!, November 2, 2010

By 

Dr. Stuart Gitlow (Providence, RI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Werner ESC330 Fire Escape Ladder, Three Story (Tools & Home Improvement)

(What's this?)

Step 1: Ensure that your house has the same specifications as the average house. Our second story window is 18' off the ground. Our third story window is 27' off the ground. This is typical for any home built before the 1930s, and it is precisely such homes with their wood framing and older electrical systems, where having a fire escape ladder is likely to be of the highest importance. So here, the three story ladder actually leaves us off a few feet from the ground. Not a problem for the younger folks, or where you'll be dropping onto a soft surface, but for older occupants or for a pavement-based landing, this is not preferable.

Step 2: The ladder-containing box is meant to be installed within the wall, not against the wall. That is, you'll be carving out a hole in your wall, then securing the box directly to the studs, which must be 16" center-to-center. The space necessary in the wall is 9.5"x16.5" for a two story ladder and 12" x 16.5" for this three story ladder. Again, if you have an older house with a plaster wall, installation may not be nearly as straightforward as it is in a new construction home where all you have to do is cut out some drywall and remove some insulation.

Step 3: Install the unit. There is a very nice instructional video available online. An excellent illustrated manual accompanies the ladder and clearly depicts each step of the installation process. The installation will likely be easy for someone with advanced home carpentry skills. If you're comfortable building a bookcase from scratch, you'll be able to handle this. If not, calling in a carpenter for assistance would be a good idea. Don't forget that in an older home, you might find water or termite damage as you go. That will have to be repaired first.

The unit itself is a heavy and clearly strong metal box that contains a ladder with aluminum rungs held in place by vertical straps. The box is beige. I mention that because the packing box shows it and declares that the unit "blends with decor." I suppose that's true if your decor is beige. With our purple walls, the box stands out like a sore thumb. But, obviously, you can paint the front of the box. Just ensure that you don't paint it closed.

In an emergency, you grab the front of the box and remove it. That is easy as it just lifts off. Open the window and toss out the foot of the ladder. There is a assistance strap and you pull your way out the window while holding onto the strap and stepping up onto the inside of the box to let yourself easily go out the window. Frankly, I didn't pull myself all the way out the window in this manner but instead tested the unit by climbing it from the outside. There is clearly a point as you get out the window where you'd have to turn around and regain your grasp of the ladder. The ladder swings because of the strap sides so the process of getting out, particularly in a tight window space, may have its own difficulties. Add the possibility of night, a lack of emergency lighting, and the emotional stress of your house burning to the ground, and naturally it's important to have gained familiarity with this escape system in advance.

There's no question that having an escape route like this is far better than the alternative. The ladder and installation unit are both well constructed and of high quality. Nothing bent during the installation or drill process. Your life will depend on the ladder, particularly in the three story variety, so get professional help with the installation should you have any doubts about your skills there. Finally, recognize that the process of climbing out a window onto a moving ladder may not be easy for all the occupants of your home so keep that in mind before purchase.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When your life depends on it, November 25, 2010

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Werner ESC220 Fire Escape Ladder, Two Story (Tools & Home Improvement)

(What's this?)

In an emergency, do you know how you or your loved ones will exit your home? A plan is always good but without the right tools, getting out safely could be a major problem. The Werner Two Story Escape Ladder is one answer to the question of how to exit a home in an emergency.

While the instructions indicate a home owner could do this themselves, I truly suggest you hire a carpenter. The website does have a video that can be viewed but if cutting holes in the drywall or maybe having to add studs make you uneasy, find someone who knows what they are doing or has all the right tools.

Be sure you have a location where it can be installed. We don't. The window we had thought about installing this under is a half window. Neither my husband or I could squeeze through the smaller opening and moving nightstands in a hurry is not a good call. That was my bad and not a reflection on the product.

Keep in mind the distance from the window to the ground and order the correct unit for the location it is going in. Personally I would have a unit in each bedroom that is not on a ground floor, such as on the backside of a ranch style home with basement. Our home is like this and the master bedroom is 2 stories high in the back but 2 of the bedrooms are on ground level as they are in the front part of the house.

We both like very much that each step in the installation instructions has photos as well as text with a full explanation of that step.

In an emergency there will be no time to find an escape ladder that sits on the window sill and uses pressure to keep it in place. We are talking about people reacting under stress and looking for the escape ladder can lead to fatal results. That is why the Werner is such a great idea. It is in the wall. It can't be misplaced or lost. Just be sure to keep it free of obstructions and the family will have an escape route.

A required step in the instructions call for at least one test to verify proper installation. My suggestion is to hold fire drills just like we had when we were children in school. Of course don't go over board and damage things, but do practice removing the window screen, deploying the ladder and even climbing down the ladder. It will make a difference should it ever need to be used as an escape and if the family, from children to adults, have deployed it at least once, they stand a much better chance of surviving an emergency.

Another nice feature of the instruction manual are the steps to repack the unit after testing it.

The unit feels very well made and durable with the outside housing being made of metal. The unit's cover has escape instructions printed on the inside in 2 languages.

If your home meets the requirements this unit needs, it is my opinion you should get it. It is not overly expensive to purchase and hopefully installation will also be reasonable if you have to hire someone for that. Besides, how can we put a value on saving the lives of those we love?

Werner ESC220 Fire Escape Ladder, Two Story

Rebecca Kyle
November 2010

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sturdy, easy to find in an emergency and worth it for piece of mind., November 27, 2010

By 

Two kids mom "scienceteachermom" (NM United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Werner ESC220 Fire Escape Ladder, Two Story (Tools & Home Improvement)

(What's this?)

The idea behind this ladder is excellent, you will always have the ladder available in an emergency and will not have to worry about hooking it over the windowsill correctly. It sits almost flush to the wall. My eleven year old has no trouble operating it, it is more difficult for her to get the window open and the screen out than to deal with the ladder.

Things to consider:
You need a window without a window below it if you are going to practice. In an emergency you would not care about breaking the window below, but if you want your kids to practice you need to have one that hangs straight down.

Your studs need to be 16 inches on center to make installation easy (check them with a stud finder). Even if they are, you may have to do some fiddling. The place we chose one of the studs was a bit warped, necessitating the use of a chisel to flatten it out. It took almost two hours to install and we are pretty handy. It is a snug fit between those studs. Insulation to replace the stuff you remove is included.

The ages of your family members should be considered in placing the ladder. We installed it in our 11 year olds room, old enough to escape on her own and to be responsible. You don't want a really young kid messing with this, on the other hand since getting out of the window should be considered, in fact it is much easier for a kid to attempt this than us adults. Since kids are more agile and smaller it is actually easier for them. If you are "chunky" it is not a simple matter to maneuver yourself into the position to exit a window. The elderly, infirm or handicapped would simply not be able to execute this, especially in an emergency.

The ladder can hold 1200 pounds, which is critical if you will need to be carrying or helping someone else down. This is a definite plus, as the ladder we had before that would hang on the sill specifically said one person at a time and I always wondered how we would manage this. Another benefit is that someone outside could confidently use this ladder to get back inside if needed, not worrying about it's stability.

I did not feel comfortable teaching my kids to use that ladder on their own, and worried about them being trapped if we could not get to them. Now I feel that they can exit the house on their own if needed. Be sure to set up a meeting place for everyone in the family during a fire so that no one is going back into the house to save someone who is already out.

Well worth the money for piece of mind, even if you never need it.