Building escape system

An escape system for a building comprising:

• a belting ladder formed by an endless band of a flat flexible reinforced polymeric belting material with a plurality of longitudinally-spaced apertures through the band along its length each aperture with a substantially transverse edge portion forming rung-like features therealong for human engagement, and
• control apparatus including:
• a support structure mountable to the building, the support structure having a central shaft and a pulley member secured thereto and rotatable thereabout with the endless band around the pulley member;
• a speed limiter mounted with respect to the central shaft for restraining rotation of the pulley member during human descent by belt movement;
• a pair of support plates secured with respect to the central shaft, one on each of opposite sides of the pulley member and rotatable therewith;
• a winder device adjacent to the pulley member and having at least one rod engageable with the ladder and orbitable therewith about the central shaft;
• a rewind pin extending through at least one of the plates into the pulley member to rotationally interconnect such plate and the pulley so that rotation of the pulley rotates the plates with the rod about the central shaft for winding of the ladder into a coil;
• and
• a locking-release pin extending through at least one of the plates into the pulley member to hold the coil in place for storage,
• whereby for storage the rewind pin is removed to leave the plates in a storage position with the pulley being rotatable for use upon removal of the locking-release pin to allow the unwinding of the ladder into its use position.