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CNN Live At Daybreak

Parachute Company Has Creative Solution to Highrise Emergencies

Aired November 02, 2001 - 08:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Since September 11, architects of high-rise buildings are rethinking ways to make structures safer. And parachute companies are coming up with ways to provide an escape mechanism for workers in tall buildings.

Our Jeff Flock is -- where else -- in Chicago. And Jeff, I've got to ask, what color is your parachute?

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. It's a career decision, I'm going to have to rethink. But I can tell you where I am right now. That's in my own office. I didn't have to go very far this morning. This is my office on the 7th floor of the Chicago Tribune Tower, the CNN bureau here.

I'm with John Rivers, and you are holding something. His parachute appears, Miles, to be pink this morning, or at least that's the outside in terms of color of your parachute. John, what is this, and what do you use it for?

JOHN RIVERS, EXECUTIVE CHUTE CORPORATION: This is an executive chute, or personalized safety device chute, to be used in a last effort, option of last resort, in escaping a high-rise building.

FLOCK: Now, let me just make sure that everyone heard that loud and clear. This is the last resort.

RIVERS: Absolutely -- last resort.

FLOCK: OK. Tell me how it works.

RIVERS: Well, actually it's pretty simple. In fact, let me try it on for you.

FLOCK: OK.

RIVERS: It's easy to put on. When you get this, you're going to want to try it on a few times, so that you're familiar with how it goes on, so when the time comes, it's not the first time you've ever had it on.

FLOCK: And now, this is not something you put on just before you're to jump...

RIVERS: No.

FLOCK: ... or you're planning to go out a window.

RIVERS: No. If there is -- if a fire alarm has gone off, or you're in danger, you need to put it on right away. So that way...

FLOCK: So then you're ready with it.

RIVERS: Right, you're ready with it. You can still go to the stairways. You can still follow the emergency evacuations program that your building has laid out for you.

FLOCK: Right, because obviously, as we said, before you start thinking about coming out this window, the first thing you're doing is looking to get down the stairs.

RIVERS: Absolutely.

FLOCK: You're looking to look for firefighting equipment that are maybe going to get a ladder up to you. There may be people on the roof. You'll go off in a helicopter. All of those are preferred, correct?

RIVERS: Exactly right. And then, the last thing that you do, if you can't get out, is you close yourself off into a room, get on the phone, call 911, and let somebody know where you're at, what floor you're on, what room you're in, and then wait, wait to be rescued by the fire department.

FLOCK: OK. You get to the point where, as we saw in the World Trade Center, you have people obviously that must have been to the end of their rope in terms of heat, fire...

RIVERS: Right.

FLOCK: ... and that sort of thing. What do you do then?

RIVERS: Well, what you're going to want to do with this, because this is actually made for this application. You're going to want to attach this line. In this room, there's going to be a lot of different things to attach to. It's really quite convenient. You've got to hook it here.

(CROSSTALK)

FLOCK: Yes, OK. What would you do here if I push this window.

RIVERS: Oh, no. It's OK right where it's at.

FLOCK: Can you reach it where you're at?

RIVERS: Yes, I sure can. You'd probably just want to hook that right there.

FLOCK: OK. Now, why am I hooking this here? RIVERS: This is going to pull your chute out. Now, this chute opens up in a blink of an eye. We consulted with a lot of firemen, engineers, architects, jump people. And one of the things that the firemen educated us on is all training goes out the window, literally, when this happens, because your instinct is to linger in that window as long as you can.

FLOCK: So you want to make this, for want of a better word, idiot proof, or operator error is not going to come into it.

RIVERS: Yes, the firemen that we've talked to have told us that chances are, you're nearly unconscious or maybe completely unconscious when you either fell or jumped out of the window.

FLOCK: And, again, can you pop that off and let me spin it around there? And as we do that, I just want to take a look at what you've got here. This is the line that's going to pull the chute. Is that correct?

RIVERS: Exactly right.

FLOCK: And that's going -- it's going to explode out of here in some fashion. And what -- in terms of height, where are we? We're actually a little here on the 7th floor, correct?

RIVERS: Yes, you want to be about 120 feet. This chute opens in 30 to 40 feet, which is only three or four floors.

FLOCK: Three or four stories.

RIVERS: And so it opens very quickly. But you need the rest of that to slow your descent rate down.

FLOCK: Tell me, again, how much this costs?

RIVERS: $795 for an individual.

FLOCK: And we should point out, there are other competitors on the market, other companies that make this as well.

RIVERS: Yes, there are other chute manufacturers that are doing the same thing. We started eight months ago. They're starting right now, and they're all trying to come up with a good system that works.

FLOCK: Got you. John Rivers -- appreciate this morning. Obviously looking out the window this is not something you ever want to have to think about doing, but you've got some options. Good deal. That's the latest -- Paula, Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: There are viewers out there, Jeff, that have lots of questions, I'm sure right now. And among them is how you're getting this shot we're looking at right now? Can you just do a quick explain or take us on the other side of the screen for a moment? Because we're a little worried about you sending one of your employees out there, Jeff. FLOCK: We've got a guy on a parachute, actually, Miles. And in fact, I don't know. Maybe you can see, Bill, go ahead and give a shot of Bruce to see who is doing what. This is something we actually put together for our report from the top of the Sears Tower, so that we can look over the side and look down the side. So there you go.

O'BRIEN: All right.

FLOCK: That's monkey cam.

O'BRIEN: Basically its' a little teeny camera at the end of a boom. Folks, we weren't putting anybody in harm's way out there.

FLOCK: And we've all got parachutes, so we're fine.

O'BRIEN: All right.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: It still makes me nervous to see him get so close to that window. Jeff, move inside, move closer to your desk.

O'BRIEN: All right. So we're not -- that's the end of the demonstration. We're not going to take it any further, right?

FLOCK: I've got to go back to work now.

O'BRIEN: OK.

FLOCK: I've got to go back to work.

O'BRIEN: All right. Good job, Jeff. Good job, Dave Steck and everybody there in the Chicago bureau.

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