Egress Windows

Few of us think of windows as lifesaving equipment, but they are! Bedroom windows that are properly equipped for egress in the event of an emergency can be the difference between life and death.

3,500 to 4,000 people perish in home fires annually; in addition to the 15,000 to 21,000 who are injured. Half of these deaths occur at night when people are asleep and get trapped in their bedroom without a second way out in the event smoke or fire blocks their normal escape route.

Since September 1973, building codes require that in all new construction, every sleeping room have at least one operable window with a clear opening of 5.7 square feet to act as an egress window during an emergency. The code also requires that the maximum allowable distance from the floor to the window sill is no more than 44 inches in order to be acceptable as an emergency escape or egress window.

NOTE: It is the responsibility of the owner, architect, contractor and or builder to select products that comply with applicable, state and local building codes and that is appropriate for the application and use. A building permit probability will be needed.