Patent ID: 6988587

Claim:
A fire escape device for suspending a person from a dwelling, said device comprising: a housing having a top wall, a first end wall, a second end wall, a front wall and a rear wall, said top wall having an aperture extending therethrough; a spindle being rotatably mounted to and extending between said first and second end walls; a pair of gripping members being attached to spindle, said gripping members being spaced from each other, each of said gripping members having a bottom side, an upper side, a pair of lateral sides, a forward side and a back side, said spindle extending through each of said lateral sides such that said bottom sides are positioned nearer said spindle than said upper sides and said gripping members are aligned with each other; a spool being rotatably mounted on said spindle and being positioned between said gripping members; a tether being attached to and wound about said spool, said tether having a free end extending through said aperture; a fastening assembly being attached to said free end for selectively attaching said free end to the dwelling; and wherein each of a pair of hands may be positioned on said gripping members and said gripping members rotated such that the hands are secured within the housing by a compressing action between the gripping member and the front wall.