fire escape

fire escape

noun

Definition of FIRE ESCAPE

: a device for escape from a burning building; especially : a metal stairway attached to the outside of a building

First Known Use of FIRE ESCAPE

1788

Rhymes with FIRE ESCAPE

bias tape, cityscape, friction tape, ticker tape, waterscape, xeriscape, audiotape

fire escape

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Means of rapid egress from a building, primarily intended for use in case of fire. Building codes define an exit as an enclosed and protected path of escape in the event of a fire, leading from an exit access through a combination of corridors, stairways, and doors to an exit discharge at an exterior court or public way. The term fire escape usually refers to open iron or steel balconies with steep stairways on the outside of buildings; often a retrofit of older buildings, these are rare in new construction. Other means of escape are by balconies leading to adjacent buildings, or through chutes, often used in hospitals.