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Old 02-03-2014, 12:27 PM   #1
Riwright
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Default How does the fire escape really work?

My wife is big on fire safety. She wants to know how the fire escape works in the 3124KS.

I have heard two stories.

1.) Remove the pin that secures the bed to the bathroom wall. Roll to the rear of the bed and the bed will pivot up, dumping you onto the ground.

I don't know if this will work and it will damage the trailer (and probably me) to test it. With two full-sized adults in the bed it would take some doing to move all of the weight to the rear of the bed supports.


2.) Remove the pin that secures the bed to the bathroom wall. Both occupants exit the bed and stand in the hallway. Raise the bed and crawl out underneath it.

I don't know how useful this is either. With both occupants standing in the hallway you're pretty close to the door already. The last person out has no one to support the weight of the bed as they try to get out.

Why not put in an exit window? It would be easy to test.

I've found some anecdotes floating around but little more than that. It seems that for something as important as a fire exit there should be some hard information. A video from the factory of someone actually using the fire exit would be really helpful. Which method is preferred? Has their been any testing of this?
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Old 02-03-2014, 01:25 PM   #2
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I personally wouldn't do #1. While you will increase your chances of getting out of a burning trailer, you still are at significant risk of death if you are lying on the ground underneath it, injured, unable to get out of the way.

I always thought it was #2. Unlatch the bed and lift it up. As you do that, especially if you pull it inwards slightly as you raise it, it should slide downwards at an angle towards the ground, out the back and away from the trailer. I've done it before by accident while working on the trailer.

Yes, you'll already be close to the door already, but if the fridge, water heater, oven, and/or even the furnace are in flames, I'd rather head out the back.

Dave

EDIT: If the Thetford catches on fire, I'm not sure what to do!
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Old 02-03-2014, 05:16 PM   #3
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Definitely #2 is the preferred exit plan for the rear bed. I've also tilted the bed up for cleaning purposes and had the head of the bed pivot and go to the ground, therefore not having to hold it up. The plan is to test it routinely so you are not attempting this procedure for the first time under an emergency condition.

FYI, The fire extinguisher is stored in an inconvenient area near the front door on my 3124KB. I probably could not get to it if there were a fire in the kitchen. Smoke alarms should alert you way before any flames. I'm pretty sure I could kick out one of the bedroom windows if I needed to.
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Old 02-04-2014, 02:14 AM   #4
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Thanks guys. Can you lift the bed from the inside without damaging the rails that the bed supports run in?
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Old 02-04-2014, 03:42 AM   #5
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Possibly. What's more likely, in my experience, is that the bed supports will pop out of the track and the bolts in the bed supports will slide/gouge against the underside of the bed. You obviously don't want that to happen.

If you want to try how it works, just have someone outside guiding the bed to keep an eye on things so the bed doesn't get away from you. Taking the mattress out of the "bed tray" will reduce the weight of the bed and make it much more manageable, and still allow you to demonstrate the mechanism.

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Old 02-04-2014, 07:53 AM   #6
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On our '13 2720SL, there is an escape window at the bunk end. I'm not sure about the '03 3023.
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Old 02-04-2014, 08:34 AM   #7
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My 2006 2720SL is closed up in the garage at the moment, so I can't check. But I am quite sure there is an exit window, and a big red EXIT sign, in the rear just as Dr Carver describes. I'm not sure how that would work if the rock guard is closed and latched, though.

Just as an aside, some folks have found that if they get on the bed and move very close to the rear wall, their weight will cause the bed to pivot and drop them on the ground. I've tried this in my TM, and it doesn't move at all - and I am reasonably heavy. On the other hand, I can lift the front edge of the bed quite easily and have done so on many occasions when I am working on a project that requires both inside and outside access at the same moment. Easy to lift, wide opening, no damage - for me, it is the way to go.

YMMV, but as suggested above, it is easy to try it both ways in your TM.

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Old 02-04-2014, 10:16 AM   #8
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My 2720 also has a window escape decal and no stone guard on rear
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Old 02-04-2014, 04:04 PM   #9
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Our 2720sl also has the exit window, there is no way to lift the bed without first moving the closet out of the way.
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Old 02-05-2014, 02:12 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest View Post
Our 2720sl also has the exit window, there is no way to lift the bed without first moving the closet out of the way.
In your model, the wardrobe does not just sit on the counter at the foot of the bed, or end of the hallway? I say the foot o the bed because in my 3124KB the bed is oriented front the back as opposed to side to side as in the smaller models.

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