GB2486344A - Emergency ladder - Google Patents

Abstract

An emergency ladder assembly 10 for enabling a person to climb out of a body of water includes a foldable ladder 12, a storage pouch 22 and a release strap 28. An upper end of the ladder has an attachment 18 for connection to a mounting point, such as a mooring cleat 20. The storage pouch stores the ladder above the water surface. The release strap is secured to the attachment and/or to an upper portion of the ladder to extend below the pouch. The strap is arranged to release the ladder from the pouch when a person pulls on the strap, such that a person can safely suspend themselves from the strap while at the same time releasing the ladder to enable the person to climb out of the water.

Description

Emergency ladder assembly This invention relates to an emergency ladder assembly and in particular to an emergency ladder assembly for enabling persons to climb out of a body of water onto a boat or quayside, dock, canal bank or pontoon of a marina. Such assembly may enable persons to climb back up onto land or a vessel should they fall into a body of water.

Each year numerous people drown due to falling into the water from a pontoon of a marina or from the dockside or quayside or from the deck of a boat. Should a person fall into the such a body of water and be unable to summon assistance it may be difficult, if not impossible, for them to climb out of the water due to the height of the adjacent walkway above the water level. The provision of permanent ladders on a pontoon or quayside is not always practical due to the risk of damage from boats, and, when provided, such ladders may not be close enough, or visible to, a person in the water to enable them to locate and swim to the ladder. For example, a pontoon may be in excess of 500 yards long with only two fixed ladders.

If a person fall in the water, their view of the nearest ladder may be obscured by boats, pontoons etc. Without assistance or the use of a ladder it will be virtually impossible for a person to pull themselves out of the water and they may quickly drown, particularly should they succumb to hypothermia due to the coldness of the water.

According to the present invention there is provided an emergency ladder assembly for enabling a person to climb out of a body of water, said assembly comprising a foldable ladder, an upper end of the ladder having attachment means for connection to mounting point, such as a mooring cleat, a storage pouch within which the ladder may be stowed when in a folded configuration at a location above the water surface, and a release means comprising an elongate strap secured to said attachment means and/or to an upper portion of the ladder to extend below the pouch, the release means being arranged to release the ladder from the pouch when a person pulls on the release means, such that a person can suspend themselves from the release means while at the same time releasing the ladder to enable the person to climb out of the water.

Preferably the release means is arranged to open the pouch to release the ladder therefrom when the release means is pulled by a person in the water. The release means may be connected directly to the attachment means or indirectly via an upper region of each of the stiles of the foldable ladder.

Preferably the storage pouch comprises a planar sheet of materiaJ sized to be folded around the ladder when in its folded configuration to enclose the ladder, said pouch having releasable fastening means, such as hook and loop fasteners, to secure the pouch around the ladder to retain the ladder in its folded configuration.

Preferably the release means comprises an elongate release strap having at least one end attached to the attachment means of the ladder, the strap being of sufficient length to terminate just above the normal water level so that it can be grabbed and held onto by a person in the water. The release strap preferably comprises elongate loop of flexible material, such as webbing or rope, the ends of the release strap being attached to said attachment means such that the release strap extends from either side of the top of the ladder. When ladder in its folded configuration within the pouch, each end of the release strap may be arranged to extend through pouch from one side to another such that it is looped through the pouch, such that, when tension is applied to release strap, the strap pulls open the fastening means of the pouch, causing pouch to open and the ladder to be released from pouch.

Preferably the foldable ladder comprises a plurality of rungs linked by flexible strap portions, said flexible strap portions defining stiles of the ladder, such that the ladder can be folded and stowed within a holder. Preferably the rungs of the ladder are weighted to allow the lower end of the ladder to sink below the water surface when released from the pouch. In one embodiment the rungs comprise sleeves or pockets within which are mounted metal bars or rods.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a front view of an emergency ladder assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a stowed configuration; Figure 2 is a front view of the emergency ladder assembly of Figure 1 in a deployed configuration; Figure 3 is a detailed view of the of the emergency ladder assembly of Figure 1 showing the ladder in its folded configuration within the pouch; Figure 4 is a detaiied view of the emergency Jadder assembiy of Figure 1 showing the pouch in an open configuration; and Figure 5 is a detailed view of the emergency ladder assembly in its deployed configuration.

A ladder assembly 10 according an embodiment of the present invention for enabling persons to climb out of a body of water 2 onto a boat or quayside is illustrated in the drawings. The ladder assembly 10 comprises a flexible ladder 12 formed from a webbing material comprising a plurality of rungs 14 linked by flexible stiles 16. Each rung 14 incorporates a pocket or sleeve containing a steel plate or bar to give the rung rigidity and to weight the rungs 14 to enable an end of the ladder 12 to sink below the surface of a body of water so that a person in the water can easily climb onto the ladder 12 without first having to pull themselves out of the water.

An upper end of each stile 16 of the ladder 12 terminates in a steel ring or mounting plate 18 for attachment to a mounting point, for example to the mountings of a mooring cleat 20.

A pouch 22 is provided formed from a fabric sheet 24 foldable to define an envelope around the ladder when in a folded or stowed configuration, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 with the rungs 14 abutting one another (see Figure 3). Hook and loop fasteners 26 are provided to secure the pouch around the folded ladder.

A release strap 28, comprising a loop of webbing material, is connected to the stiles 16 of the ladder 12, adjacent the upper end of the ladder 12, to define a handle extending from the mountings 18 of the ladder 12 to terminate, in use, just above the surface of the body of water 2.

When the ladder 12 is in its folded configuration, stowed within the pouch 22, the assembly may be mounted to the side of a boat or to a quayside or pontoon. A shown in Figure 1, when the ladder 12 is stowed within the pouch 22, the release strap 28 is arranged to extend through the pouch 22, as shown in Figure 4, so that the release strap 28 pulls the pouch open, releasing the folded ladder 12, when a person pulls on the release strap 28.

In use, a person in the water can grab hold of and hold onto the release strap 28 to prevent themselves from drowning. The action of grabbing onto the release strap 28 causes the pouch 22 to open and allows the folded ladder 12 to be deployed under the action of gravity so that the end of the ladder 12 extends into the water 2 whereby the person can climb onto and up the ladder 12 and out of the water. The mounting of the release strap 28 on the ladder 12 enables a person to grab hold of the release strap 28 and hold onto the release strap 28, keeping their head out of the water, while at the same time releasing the ladder 12 into the water 2 so that they can place their feet onto the lower rungs 14 of the ladder 12 and subsequently climb up the ladder 12 and out of the water.

The rungs 14 of the ladder 12 may comprise relatively heavy bars, for example steel bars, so that the lower end of the ladder 12 can sink below the water surface to allow the person in the water to place their feet on the ladder whilst still in the water.

The release strap 28 and stiles 16 of the ladder 12 are made from flat webbing to resist tangling. The bars may be interchangeable, different weights of bars being used to suit different applications. For example, heavier bars may be used when the ladder is to be deployed into fast flowing water.

A harness or loop may be provided on the ladder 12, possibly on one of the rungs, more particularly the rung arranged to be substantially level with the normal water level, so that a casualty in the water can attach themselves to the harness or loop to provide support should they be unable to climb or even hold on to the ladder.

A whistle may be provided, possibly mounted on the ladder, to enable a casualty in the water to attract assistance. An electronic device may be provided for attracting by creating and a sound and/or visible alert, such as a flashing light. The electronic device may be manually actuatable by a casualty, for example by a switch on the ladder, or may be automatically actuated upon release of the ladder 12 from the pouch 22.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. Claims 1. An emergency ladder assembly for enabling a person to climb out of a body of water, said assembly comprising a foldable ladder, an upper end of the ladder having attachment means for connection to mounting point, such as a mooring cleat, a storage pouch within which the ladder may be stowed when in a folded configuration at a location above the water surface, and a release means comprising an elongate strap secured to said attachment means and/or to an upper portion of the ladder to extend below the pouch, the release means being arranged to release the ladder from the pouch when a person pulls on the release means, such that a person can suspend themselves from the release means while at the same time releasing the ladder to enable the person to climb out of the water.
2. 2. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the release means is arranged to open the pouch to release the ladder therefrom when the release means is pulled by a person in the water.
3. 3. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in claim I or claim 2, wherein the release means is connected directly to the attachment means or indirectly via an upper region of each of the stiles of the foldable ladder.
4. 4. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the storage pouch comprises a planar sheet of material sized to be folded around the ladder when in its folded configuration to enclose the ladder, said pouch having releasable fastening means, such as hook and loop fasteners, to secure the pouch around the ladder to retain the ladder in its folded configuration.
5. 5. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the release means comprises an elongate release strap having at least one end attached to the attachment means of the ladder, the strap being of sufficient length to terminate just above the normal water level, in use, so that it can be grabbed and held onto by a person in the water.
6. 6. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the release strap comprises an elongate loop of flexible material, such as webbing or rope, the ends of the release strap being attached to said attachment means such that the release strap extends from either side of the top of the ladder.
7. 7. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein, when ladder in its folded configuration within the pouch, each end of the release strap is arranged to extend through pouch from one side to another such that it is looped through the pouch, such that, when tension is applied to release strap, the strap pulls open the fastening means of the pouch, causing pouch to open and the ladder to be released from pouch.
8. 8. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the foldable ladder comprises a plurality of rungs linked by flexible strap portions, said flexible strap portions defining stiles of the ladder, such that the ladder can be folded and stowed within a holder.
9. 9. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rungs of the ladder are weighted to allow the lower end of the ladder to sink below the water surface when released from the pouch.
10. 10. An emergency ladder assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rungs comprise sleeves or pockets within which are mounted metal bars or rods.
11. 11. An emergency ladder assembly substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.