System for providing air to those trapped within a burning building

A system for providing air to users trapped within a smoke-filled building, consisting of:

• a vertical air-supply piping, said piping having at least one user end and a ground end opening to non-pressurized air, said at least one user end being at a higher elevation than said ground end, said piping providing fluid communication of non-pressurized air from said ground end to said user end;
• said air-supply piping is a main vertical pipe mounted between an exterior building surface and an interior building surface, said main vertical pipe having at least one horizontal pipe branching therefrom;
• a breathing instrument connector operatively connected to said user end of said piping, said breathing instrument connector including a plurality of air access openings having selectively openable and closeable diaphragms;
• and
• at least one breathing instrument selectively attachable to said breathing instrument connector to provide air to a user.

A system for providing air to users trapped Within a smoke-filled building, consisting of:

• a main vertical air-supply pipe mounted inside an exterior wall of said building, said vertical pipe having a ground end opening to non-pressurized air and a plurality of user ends, said user ends connected to said vertical pipe by horizontal pipes running from said vertical pipe to said user ends, said plurality of user ends being at a higher elevation than said ground end, said main vertical pipe and said horizontal pipes providing fluid communication of non-pressurized air from said ground end to said user ends independent from any device for initiating air flow;
• a breathing instrument connector operatively connected to said user ends of said pipe, said breathing instrument connector including a plurality of air access openings having selectively openable and closeable diaphragms;
• and
• at least one breathing instrument selectively attachable to said breathing instrument connector to provide air to a user.

A method for providing air to those trapped within a smoke-filled building using a system comprising main and branched piping, a breathing instrument connector, and at least one breathing instrument, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing said main piping from a ground area to a user area at a higher elevation than said ground area;
• mounting said main piping between an exterior building surface and an interior building surface;
• opening said main piping at said ground area to non-pressurized air;
• branching said main piping at said user area;
• providing a breathing instrument connector on said branched piping at said user area;
• connecting said breathing instrument to said breathing instrument connector;
• and
• enabling fluid communication of said non-pressurized air from said ground end through said main and branched piping to said breathing instrument without any need for air forcing devices.

A building structure having means for selectively accessing atmospheric air for emergency use in said building structure in the absence of breathable air therein, said building structure comprising:

• a plurality of outside walls, said plurality of outside walls each including an interior wall section and an exterior wall section, said interior and exterior wall section defining an area therebetween;
• a network of vertical air-supply piping mounted in said area between said interior and exterior wall sections, each of said plurality of vertical air-supply piping extending from an air receiving opening at a ground end to at least one user end at a higher elevation than said ground end and providing fluid communication of non-pressurized air therethrough;
• said ground end of each of said plurality of vertical piping opening to non-pressurized air at said air receiving opening;
• said air receiving opening having a screen cover for preventing foreign material from entering said air receiving opening;
• said at least one user end of each of said plurality of vertical air supply piping including a breathing instrument connector having a plurality of air access openings;
• said at least one user end of each of said plurality of vertical air-supply piping including at least one breathing instrument selectively attachable to said at least one air access opening of said breathing instrument connector for allowing non-mechanically dependent fluid communication between said air receiving opening of said ground end and said breathing instrument.