Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #241 in Home Improvement
• Size: 13-Foot
• Color: Red
• Brand: Kidde
• Model: KL-2S
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.25" h x 16.38" w x 6.25" l, 19.00 pounds

Features

• Easy to use attaches quickly to most common windows
• Fast and easy to deploy with anti-slip rungs
• Ready for use no tools or assembly required
• Strong and durable ladder tested to 1000 pounds
• 13- by 1-feet; 5-year limited warranty

From the Manufacturer
Someone in the U.S. dies in a home fire every three hours, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which recommends one ladder in every occupied room on floors above the main level. The Kidde KL-2S 13-Foot Two-Story Fire Escape Ladder with Anti-Slip Rungs provides a quick means of escape from a fire in a two story home. It stores easily under the bed or near a window, and is quick and easy to use.

From the Manufacturer
The Kidde Escape Ladder features 13 feet of zinc-plated steel rungs attached with red nylon strap rails for a quick, secure escape route in case of fire. One of the best features of the Kidde is that its soft rails let you store it anywhere. Slip it under the bed or keep it handy right on the windowsill for easy access. This lifesaver supports a maximum weight of 1,000 pounds when the load is distributed on more than one rung. Max weight per rung is 750 pounds. And, this Kidde is flame resistant, opens in seconds and attaches quickly to any window. The tangle-free design and anti-slip rungs give added security for the descent. Ppre-assembled and ready to use, this ladder is 13 feet long with 1-foot wide rungs.

Customer Reviews

I choose not to buy for safety and ethical reasons
(The reviewer has no personal stake in nor connection with any companies mentioned in this review.)

In 2001 Kidde was found guilty in a jury trial for stealing from X-IT, LLC the product and packaging design for an emergency fire escape ladder and marketing it as their own (search the web for "kidde jury" to find articles reporting this verdict).

After the trial, the attorney for X-It said, "Our expert tested their ladder and said it burned like a candle. He had a little piece of goo that he passed around to the jury to show them how Kidde's ladder would burn." Kidde refused to recall the over 16,000 ladders they had sold utilizing that same exact design.

For safety reasons I will not purchase their product because I am not sure that Kidde has substantially changed the dangerous design of the ladders they sell. They may say they have changed the design and/or components, but can they be trusted given their recent track record? For ethical reasons I choose not to purchase from a company that knowingly and blatantly steals.

Instead, I'll be purchasing an X-It ladder (which is intermittently available on Amazon).

I would not buy a ladder marketed as "one use" (meaning unpacking) and that is very hard to re-pack. Part of being fire-safe and ready for an emergency is to PRACTICE using the equipment you may have to use in the dark and under stress. I'd definitely want each member of my family to practice using the ladder BEFORE an emergency. I can understand a company stating the ladder should be replaced after use in an actual fire situation: they cannot guarantee the future integrity of the ladder if it has been subjected to high heat or flame.

Be sure to open the box before an emergency!
We already own one of these Kidde ladders, and I just bought a second one for another bedroom. I almost put the whole box in the closet without opening it, since I know how the other ladder works. But luckily I opened the box anyway, just to check it out. The interior packaging has changed - there is so much plastic wrapping and cardboard packaging taped around the ladder that there's no way you could deploy it in an emergency. So be sure to open the box and remove all the packaging before putting the ladder away.

Life Safety
As a firefighter, I strongly reccomend escape ladders to people who live on or above the second floor. If a fire starts at night on the first floor smoke detectors on the second or third floors may or may not activate and wake up building occupants before superheated gasses and fire make escape through the first floor an impossability. Buy whatever brand you want but make sure it's appropriate for your specific needs. Ensure if you live on the third or fourth floor you buy a ladder that long or longer. Take into consideration overhangs under windows that will effect the length of the ladder. Make sure escape ladder fits the window. Use only if all other exits are blocked. Practice opening the ladder and dropping it out the window, but not using it.