- UL Classified to NFPA 1983 – Escape
- Release or squeeze to slow descent
- Auto brake allows hands-free edge transitions
- Lets user to control rate of decent
- Compact and lightweight
- Works with or without gloves
Squeeze too hard and descent slows. Because some users were concerned that in a panic situation, a firefighter might squeeze the handle of his descender, and not be able to stop. CMC eliminated that concern with the unique new Double Brake Escape Artist. Unlike standard descenders that break only when released, Double Break adds a fail-safe device that can be a lifesaver if things spiral out of control. You still release the handle to stop, but if you squeeze too hard, the Double Brake Escape Artist will slow or stop your descent.
Hands-free edge transition and a controllable descent. Like the acclaimed single brake CMC Rescue Escape Artist, the Double Brake Escape Artist locks when loaded, allowing both hands to be used to negotiate the exit. Squeezing the lever controls the rate of descent. When held in a neutral position, rope will pay out the smoothly and freely, so the user can move quickly when crossing a room. But when the handle is released, the patented Auto-Break stops the rope, permitting a safer edge transition...or preventing a free-fall. It will work equally well with or without gloves of any type.
Made to be kept rigged and ready for the most extreme conditions. Compact and lightweight for convenience. All-metal aluminum and stainless steel construction and a minimum of parts make the CMC Double Break Escape Artist a durable and reliable performer. The improved handle is located inside the side plates, reducing the potential of catching on an edge. Plus it provides increased leverage for easier control, while maintaining all the high-performance features and proven advantages of the original design. This safer, more versatile Escape Artist is intended to be pre-rigged on an 8mm escape line, and kept ready for immediate use…by firefighters of all levels of experience.
Features:
- Unique design prevents free-fall in panic situations
- Slows descent whether handle is released or squeezed hard
- Patented auto-brake allows hands-free edge transitions
- Variable friction allows user to control rate of decent
- Compact, all-metal design
- Lightweight— only 6.5 oz. (184g)
- Works equally well with or without glove of any type
- UL Classified to NFPA 1983 – Escape
Specifications:
- Model: Double Break
- Color: Gold with Red Handle
- Rope Size: 8mm Escape Lines
- Weight: 6.5 oz.
- Dimensions: 5h x 3w x 1.25 d
Single Brake or Double Brake?
TFS Tips: Picking the Right Escape Artist
Picking the Right Escape Artist - Single Brake or Double Brake?
The choice of a descent control device involves inherent trade-offs based on what is most important to the user. The original single brake design of the Escape Artist provides a hands-free window transition and exceptional control on the descent. An important feature is the ease of paying out rope if the anchor point is some distance from the window. Squeezing the handle fully allows the rope to slide smoothly through the device. The trade-off is that during a descent the user must remember to release the handle to slow down. Squeezing the device in a panic grip will allow the user to continue to descend.
The double brake escape artist operates in the same manner: the user squeezes the handle to control descent and releases the handle to stop. However, if the descent is too fast and the user panics, squeezing harder on the handle instead of letting up, the Double Brake Escape Artist will slow the descent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only available escape-certified descent control device with a double braking feature. The trade-off is that when a user is letting out rope quickly to cross a room, some skill is required to find the free running spot between too little and too much pressure on the handle.
The choice of which model Escape Artist will work best for your department and personnel depends on its level of training and the protocols that have been established for emergency escape.
