Escape Chutes Offshore

The Vertical Escape Chute:

Is a device by which persons in immediate danger through fire or smoke, with no alternative escape option can escape, should the standard method of evacuation (TEMPSC) be unavailable.

The escape chute is also readily employed as a primary means of safe access to life rafts when life rafts are the primary means of evacuation.

(Normally unmanned installations, bridge linked multi jacket facilities etc.)

The Vertical Escape Chute:

Is designed to allow rapid safe access to sea within a chute system that provides a fire protected environment of 650 degrees and a melting point of 800 degrees.

This provides personnel using the system from sea based or sub cellar deck levels valuable time and protection from fire and radiated heat flux.

Fixed and Variable height applications:-

For fixed height applications when sea, wind and current action is minimal. RSS would recommend the three layered style chute. The three layered chute is the safest and most rapid means of escape, providing evacuees with protection from radiated heat in a fire event situation.

This system however requires a minimum of a one x meter air gap as evacuees exit at the bottom of the chute and directly into the debarkation/boarding raft.

For variable height application RSS would supply a dual chute configuration. The top section would remain the three layered type, however the lower section is supplied as the Netted Kevlar Nomex zig-zag style chute.

This chute has stainless steel hoops at four foot intervals and each four foot section has an opposing slide, at the rear of each slide is a back exit. This enables evacuees to exit the chute at any four foot section.

In ballast or heavy wave conditions the unused sections of the netted zig-zag chute remain coiled in the base of the debarkation/boarding raft. The debarkation raft has four 15400Ib Kevlar ropes, these are attached inside the deck mounted container and run the full length of the chute column and through the debarkation raft , this allows the raft and zig-zag chute to move up and down in ballast or wave conditions.

The four main Kevlar cables feed through the debarkation raft and are attached to a stabilization plate that sits below the water, this ensures that the chute column remains straight at all times. The stabilization plate weight is determined by customer supplied met-ocean data.

The Vertical Escape Chute:

Can be used as a stand alone unit located adjacent to the life raft or can be supplied as a unit integrated with a life raft ensuring evacuees arriving at Sea-level are adjacent to the deployed raft.

The Vertical Escape Chute:

Can also be used for many onshore applications such as Escape from the monkey board (on land based drill rigs), escape from crane cab.

Risk Safety Systems offer a comprehensive range of offshore escape chute systems. The first of these are the RSS22-DM Deck mounted unit. This system is designed to provide a rapid means of escape to sea level in an emergency event without the need to enter the water.

Floor mounted evacuation system can be mounted into a steel platform or deck with a clear uninterrupted drop to sea level. To operate open lid, pull handle, the chute will deploy and personnel can evacuate to the debarkation/boarding raft which is attached to the base of the chute. (approx 22-30 evacuees in three minutes dependent on drop height). Suitable for operating not exceeding 32 meters.

Can be located adjacent to throw over life rafts providing greatly enhanced ease of decent and survivability over the knotted rope and scramble net option.

Deck mounted throw over life raft painter lines can be attached to the debarkation/boarding raft and inflated at sea level , this provides a basic integrated system.

The unit is easily installed, maintained and inexpensive compared to similar systems.

• Weight is dependent on chute length and geographical location as the stabilization plate will be weighted for wave, current condition, average weight based on 80 foot chute and

a 500Ib stabilization plate is: - 1450Ib.

Escape Chute Systems™. RSS offer a full range of Escape Chute Systems that provide a safer alternative for escape for offshore oil & gas applications, when the primary TEMPSC is not available and life rafts are required to be used to escape to sea. They can also be used as an alternative escape method for unmanned installations where a TEMPSC is not justified. These systems have been designed to provide the OIM with additional and alternative options for evacuation when primary systems such as TEMPSC or Helicopters have failed or not available.

Applications may include, but are not limited too: Fixed Single and Multi- Jacket Installations, Gravity Based Structures - TLP - SPAR - FPSO - FSO - Semi-Submersibles - Drilling Rigs. For onshore applications: Drill Rig - Derrick Escape, Refinery Towers, Dock Cranes and Hi-Rise commercial /residential.

► Escape Chute Systems

► Emergency Escape Ladder

► Emergency Parachute

► Donut Descent Device

► Smoke Hoods

► SOLAS Rated Life Rafts

► Life Saving Equipment