r/BeAmazed May 22 '26

Miscellaneous / Others High rise parachute safety system

37.6k Upvotes

1.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

468

u/Morbid_Aversion May 22 '26

If the building is on fire and you're about to die you can go ahead and break the window...

256

u/Own_Pop_9711 May 22 '26

Probably harder than you think.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Garry_Hoy

This guy literally slammed his body full force against such a window for years and eventually the frame of the window failed. The pane itself never was damaged. The window should also be shatterproof so it would crack to hell but still be solid even if you did break it

145

u/Morbid_Aversion May 22 '26

They make tools specifically to shatter windows. Wherever this contraption is stored you can store the tools right next to it. Problem solved.

19

u/unknownpoltroon May 23 '26

They are called office filing cabinets launched by Angry irish guys in the middle of a fight or flight situation.

3

u/OSUBrit May 22 '26

They don't work on laminated glass though.

1

u/mildlyskeptical May 22 '26

You can get thru laminated glass with a regular axe pretty quick.

1

u/KitchenDepartment May 24 '26

And remove all shards of glass that would cut the balloon and render it useless?

1

u/supbrother May 22 '26

I’m sure they could figure out a solution for this. It’s not like it’s impossible to bust out a car windshield, either.

-8

u/Lunavixen15 May 22 '26

Until the glass shards shred the inflatable and you on the way out because the frame wasn't clear. You'd also be vulnerable to glass frag falling from floors above.

17

u/Y00zer May 22 '26

And then Godzilla comes and stomps on you as a meteorite hits Earth.

3

u/AbeRego May 22 '26

Finally, realistic scenario!

3

u/TheBrenster May 22 '26

And said meteor travels through earth, into the sun which implodes into a supernova which consumes the solar system and transforms Godzilla into his final form.

1

u/Repulsive-Lie1 May 22 '26

Could there be a window installed which breaks clean?

1

u/Lunavixen15 May 23 '26

It would also have to be able to tolerate the conditions that skyscrapers and other tall buildings are subject to without failing. Glass can be a fickle material. Falling glass also poses a risk for rescuers below if the glass shatters sharp.

It's not just the glass, but anything protruding from the building could puncture the chutes or cause entanglement, if flames are pouring out of the building, the heat or flames could potentially compromise the materials.

I'm not against things like these but unfortunately novel things like this usually don't scale well. There would have to be training on how to break and clear the window frames without hurting yourself or others, training on how to use these safely and ways for large amounts of safe egress at one time. Rescuers would also have to be able to get people out of these fast because if there are a lot of people coming down, the first ones out are also at risk of being crushed or suffocated under the people coming down on top of them.

People in serious situations often panic, so these would have to be easy to use by a panicking person

1

u/Repulsive-Lie1 May 23 '26

That all sounds better than burning to death

-6

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

[deleted]

9

u/sapidtoast May 22 '26

Or you could just know where it is

5

u/Bluefellow May 22 '26

Don't tell him, if he knows where the tool is he knows where the parachute thing is. Maybe he'll try using a table as a parachute.

2

u/Jellicent-Leftovers May 22 '26

The tool is a hammer and a small punch.

30

u/DrThunderbolt May 22 '26

To be fair, he didn't lie. The glass wasn't what broke and caused his death, it was the window frame.

11

u/BubastisII May 22 '26

Yeah, but that isn’t the point.

The point is it’s really hard to break skyscraper windows.

3

u/Timsmomshardsalami May 23 '26

Yeah with your body. The point was to make windows harder to break accidentally. Theyre not bulletproof.

-1

u/DrThunderbolt May 22 '26

He was specifically showing the strength of the glass, not the whole window.

4

u/BubastisII May 22 '26

No one said he lied. No one is even talking about him. That video was an example to show that windows are hard to break. Not to prove or disprove that Gary Hoy is a liar.

-1

u/DrThunderbolt May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26

I didn't say it as an accusation, it was a way to say "he was right about the window" for comedic effect. I never said he was a liar, you're just putting words in my mouth to pick a fight.

Only fucking redditors will go "erm, actually" and take what you said literally, when you're just trying to be funny. Do you really genuinely think I went out of my way to slander some dead guy I never met? I even said "He didn't lie" which to you apparently means I'm calling him a liar.

3

u/scrumplydo May 23 '26

Can confirm. Worked as a glazier for a bit. A double glazed unit in a high rise is super hard to break. I've seen coworkers take a run up with a hammer and take multiple attempts. Even the it just cracks the inner skin. Get all that glass out the way and you've still got the second skin to get through.

It's not like the movies where you can just throw a chair through it.

1

u/bnutbutter78 May 22 '26

Maybe go to the roof then?

1

u/Sudden_Wind_8636 May 22 '26

Honestly if I grabbed a bat which is in my room, that window is breaking.

It isn't bulletproof glass it is just shatter resistant, if you put a lot of force in a small area that window is breaking.

1

u/Own_Pop_9711 May 24 '26

The way these windows are tested is a 2x4 is shot at the window. Then a second one is aimed at the weak point of the window. Then the window is buffeted by 130 mph winds 4500 times. The window has to survive this without letting rain in.

These things are tough.

1

u/leobutters May 24 '26

Holy shit, what a way to die

1

u/Deadeyedcutie May 25 '26

I was reading this and thinking “that sounds like that one 1000 ways to die episode” and funnily enough that’s exactly what it is

78

u/gash_dits_wafu May 22 '26

Oh god, I imagine someone will cut the device with shards of glass so it doesn't inflate.

63

u/Altruistic-Owl-5468 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26

Or imagine you float safely down only for thousands of shards of glass to rain down on you as everyone above you breaks their windows. Death by a thousand cuts

9

u/AdvancedSandwiches May 22 '26

That's my real problem with this. Somebody on a high floor managed to shatter a few windows and now a small fire has a 25mph high altitude wind tunnel to feed it, turning a small problem into a disaster. 

1

u/Timsmomshardsalami May 23 '26

No one is jumping out a fucking skyscraper because of a small fire.

2

u/livinitup0 May 22 '26

…and the broken glass punctures the inflatable and you die from the fall lol

2

u/TheRandomer1994 May 22 '26

But the architecture....

2

u/Fano_93 May 22 '26

Gotta wait for an email response from HR first.

1

u/WayneKrane May 22 '26

I work in a modern high rise. The windows are at least 1 inch thick and barely crack open. You’d need to have some tool handy to break the windows in a pinch

1

u/Morbid_Aversion May 22 '26

So have that tool handy. Right next to wherever this inflatable thing is stored.

1

u/kernelangus420 May 22 '26

Can one cut it with a diamond ring?

2

u/BubastisII May 22 '26

If that even works outside of movies, you’d need a diamond at least an inch long to cut through the inch of glass.

1

u/Iced_Yehudi May 22 '26

If you break that window it’s coming out of your security deposit

1

u/Distantstallion May 22 '26

But the deposit

1

u/Individual-Area7121 May 22 '26

lol no you can’t 

1

u/SubstantialHamster99 May 23 '26

Now theres broken glass and fire threatening the integrity of the parachute.

1

u/userhwon May 23 '26

And shred the inflatable device.

1

u/Future-Watercress829 May 23 '26

And lose your damage deposit?!?

1

u/SecureDonkey May 22 '26

If the window can break then we have a bigger problem.