Question about exiting in an emergency

[harryjr]

The deadbolt latch on the door of my Eagle is small, black, recessed and can be covered by the bug shield. If I haven't had my coffee in the morning I fumble and stumble trying to unlock it.

So what happens if it's the middle of the night and I've got flames licking my a$$. Brick and mortar building codes require panic bars. The dead bolts on a house are larger and prominent. Why is an RV different? I can't imagine trying to exit through the emergency window exit, and basic firefighting procedure whenever possible is to "take 'em out the same way they went in.

Why isn't it a RVIA standard to make unlocking the deadbolt more user friendly in an emergency?

[Dtank]

pnichols wrote:


Yeah ... and I've always wondered about your "RV's go from on fire to fully engulfed very quickly" comment ... that seems to be true.

"SEEMS" to be true??? - You can "make book" on that!

As another poster already sated - NO sheetrock (or drywall) on the interior for structural fire protection.

Same for Mobile Homes.
Ask any firefighter that has responded to either one.

If response time is approx 3 minutes or more - it's a goner...:S

.

[Grit_dog]

Haha, I thought of this thread Sat night.
Buddy's moho door handle broke. Wives inside having cocktails and 1 kid inside.
Rest of us outside. Door stuck shut.
Hoisted him and tools thru the window. Hour and a half of surgery, cussing and pounding later, got it open.... without destroying the door or frame.

I held the door and handle on the outside. Never got so drunk just leaning against a RV! Apparently I was drinking for both of us while he was fixing it!

Point is, there was no relatively quick way of getting out with the busted door latch without simply kicking the door open an destroying it.

[Seon]

I lock my RV door because I'm afraid of the Boogie Man :B. .

At 75yrs old, when it's time then it's time.

[mowermech]

pnichols wrote:

RobWNY wrote:
If you're in an RV and truly have flames licking your a$$ it's not going to matter if you can find the dead bolt or not. It will be too late by then. RV's go from on fire to fully engulfed very quickly. Now if your smoke detector goes off and you can't get through the window, a good swift kick of the door or a hard shoulder into it will get the door open. Those dead bolts aren't hard to get open. You have very little time in an RV if there's a fire. You get out by any means you can. It's not like the RV is going to be salvageable anyway so no need to worry about damaging anything.

Yeah ... and I've always wondered about your "RV's go from on fire to fully engulfed very quickly" comment ... that seems to be true.

Other than a steel propane tank and a motorhome's steel fuel tank (both of which probably don't catch fire initially or at all) and interior wood cabinetry, what is so flammable in an RV, anyway?

Other than the above, our motorhome consists mostly of fiberglas, foam insulation, steel, and aluminum.

One might also ask "How does a steel and concrete skyscraper burn? How does a stone castle burn?" Answer: The steel, concrete, and stone does not burn. The wood and fabrics inside do!
A fuel or oil leak on or near the engine, a propane leak near the tank or the water heater or the furnace or the kitchen stove or the refrigerator, an electrical problem in the power panel, and the flammable interior is suddenly on fire! I once went camping in the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, and on the way up saw the remains of a motorhome sitting beside the highway. Just the frame, running gear, and ashes. That is all that was left. It was far enough up the pass that once the engine caught fire, the nearest fire department couldn't get there in time to do anything. Nobody was hurt.
Cell phones weren't common back then, and there is no cell service up there anyway.

[JRscooby]

pnichols wrote:

RobWNY wrote:
If you're in an RV and truly have flames licking your a$$ it's not going to matter if you can find the dead bolt or not. It will be too late by then. RV's go from on fire to fully engulfed very quickly. Now if your smoke detector goes off and you can't get through the window, a good swift kick of the door or a hard shoulder into it will get the door open. Those dead bolts aren't hard to get open. You have very little time in an RV if there's a fire. You get out by any means you can. It's not like the RV is going to be salvageable anyway so no need to worry about damaging anything.

Yeah ... and I've always wondered about your "RV's go from on fire to fully engulfed very quickly" comment ... that seems to be true.

Other than a steel propane tank and a motorhome's steel fuel tank (both of which probably don't catch fire initially or at all) and interior wood cabinetry, what is so flammable in an RV, anyway?

Other than the above, our motorhome consists mostly of fiberglas, foam insulation, steel, and aluminum.

When you want a campfire do you try to light a log? Most wood or other material in the RV is thin. And unlike a home, most of the flammable stuff is not sandwiched between non-flammable Sheetrock

[AlexCaro]

MrWizard wrote:
Why would I close the bug slide on the screen door
When the entry door is closed and locked
I DON'T

the dead bolt is a lever instead of knob
But it works easy

My bedroom Windows are marked exit, and are big enough to go out, they slide open

Panic is what will kill you,
Yes do hurry, but DON'T PANIC

I do agree about the panic. You may know everything on a regular day but if something happens, the brain will just stop working

[pnichols]

RobWNY wrote:
If you're in an RV and truly have flames licking your a$$ it's not going to matter if you can find the dead bolt or not. It will be too late by then. RV's go from on fire to fully engulfed very quickly. Now if your smoke detector goes off and you can't get through the window, a good swift kick of the door or a hard shoulder into it will get the door open. Those dead bolts aren't hard to get open. You have very little time in an RV if there's a fire. You get out by any means you can. It's not like the RV is going to be salvageable anyway so no need to worry about damaging anything.

Yeah ... and I've always wondered about your "RV's go from on fire to fully engulfed very quickly" comment ... that seems to be true.

Other than a steel propane tank and a motorhome's steel fuel tank (both of which probably don't catch fire initially or at all) and interior wood cabinetry, what is so flammable in an RV, anyway?

Other than the above, our motorhome consists mostly of fiberglas, foam insulation, steel, and aluminum.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Fire licking at your rear end, etc.

The smoke from an incipient fire will kill you long before heat and flames...:S

Have one or more smoke / CO2 detectors - test regularly to make sure they work.

Get occupants outside - *then* decide if you can (or should attempt to) extinguish the fire.

~

[CavemanCharlie]

dedmiston wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Why would you lock the deadbolt when you're inside the RV?

For the same reason you lock your doors at home.

I don't lock my doors at home or in the camper when I am inside. Sometimes even when I am not inside I will leave them open. But, I realize that not everyone lives where I do and some places may be worse.

[Dutch_12078]

dedmiston wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Why would you lock the deadbolt when you're inside the RV?

For the same reason you lock your doors at home.

Our RV is our home, but we only use the standard door lock when we're inside for the night. We haven't seen a need for a deadbolt while we're inside in many years of RV'ing. Even when we had a S&B we didn't lock the deadbolts while inside...

[JAC1982]

What about putting some glow in the dark tape on the deadbolt so you can see it better?

[Jebby14]

spoon059 wrote:
In an emergency, I'm going THROUGH that styrofoam door.

me too friend. me too

[mowermech]

Since the most likely source of fire (kitchen, refrigerator, water heater, furnace, etc.) is between the bedroom and the door, the only good means of egress is the bedroom window. Yes, my clothes are at the foot of the bed, ready to put on; or throw out the window as the situation requires.
Fire extinguisher? As far as I am concerned, that thing is there to comfort the insurance company. It is not meant to be used; it isn't big enough to really do any good. In an RV, IMO, you don't have time to play with the fool thing, GET OUT AND AWAY! Most people have never practiced using one, so they are likely to make the situation worse instead of better by using it improperly. Again, get out and run away!

[dedmiston]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Why would you lock the deadbolt when you're inside the RV?

For the same reason you lock your doors at home.