We know that New Zealand has some of the strictest quarantine regulations of all when it comes to Covid-19; anyone arriving in the country must quarantine at a designated quarantine facility for 14 days and produce repeated negative test results before they can leave.  This approach does seem to be working; the country has had very few cases and deaths since March as a result of this stringent approach to security.

 

One man, deported from Australia back to New Zealand, decided he didn't want to quarantine for the full 14 days and absconded on the 12th day of his isolation.  The man in question had produced negative results on all tests conducted on him during his stay, so the risk of his absconding causing a spate of cases is very low.  He was found soon after leaving and returned to quarantine while the police conduct an investigation.

 

Quite why the man in question decided that with only 2 days left to go, it would be wise to escape the facility and spark a panic and police search, is unclear. He must have felt very desperate in his need to get out, as he made his escape from the fourth floor via an escape ladder made from knotted bed sheets.  It's a technique we recognise from TV and movies, but rarely does it happen in real life.  In a way, it's reassuring to know that a bed sheet ladder knotted together will take the weight of an adult and provide an escape method in case of emergency, but we shouldn't rely on this method.

 

In commercial buildings and apartment blocks fire escapes are mandatory, but in the average residential home the only way from the top to bottom floor is the main staircase.  If there's a fire in the hallway, or near the stairs, you're effectively trapped upstairs.  In order to get out you'll need to use a top floor window and make your way to the ground, which might be possible if you can climb down to a porch, or extension roof below the window you are using, but what if these exits aren't accessible?  A bed sheet rope ladder might be an option here, but with one sheet per bed you'll need to go from room to room collecting enough to tie together, unless you happen to be in the room where the fresh sheets are kept.  Even once you've got enough sheets and tied them together, you still need to secure your makeshift ladder to the window somehow, in order that make your escape. 

 

Imagine trying to do all that while your house is on fire.  It's an awful lot to think about when you're struggling to breathe through the smoke.  For this reason, it is advisable to have an escape ladder in your home in case they are ever needed.   A domestic escape ladder hooks over a windowsill and deploys in seconds, so you don't even have to think about what to do or collect any equipment; simply just grab the ladder (kept under a bed, or at the side of a wardrobe for easy access), hook the hooks over the sill and drop it out.  They are stowed in such a way that they will immediately unravel in the right position, with stand offs to keep the rungs away from the wall and allow space for your feet.  Most models can be climbed by two or more people at once, to effect a quick evacuation.

 

While we have proof that a ladder made from knotted bed sheets might work, in the case of a real emergency a proper escape ladder will save your life for sure.