The History of the Fire Escape

The earliest known fire escape was invented by Daniel Maseres in England in 1784. This version of the fire escape was fastened to the window and designed to slowly lower a person to the ground to escape fire.

After massive fires plagued cities in the 1800s, coupled with the ever-increasing population of cities like New York and Philadelphia, lawmakers realized the need for fire and building codes. In 1876, the Tenement House Act was created. This act required fire escapes on buildings and windows of each room of residential and commercial buildings. That same year the first municipal fire escape law was enacted in Philadelphia after a large number of fatal factory fires in the city.

In 1887, Anna Connelly invented and patented the first outdoor fire escape. Not only did her design provide safe egress methods for people fleeing from fire, but it also made it easier for firefighters to haul water to higher floors. This design was the basis for the fire escapes you see today.

Not only have fire escapes played a crucial part in fire safety history, they are a cultural staple of some of the oldest cities in the United States, and beyond,