Life net

For the nets deployed at high structures designed to catch persons after a fall, see Safety net.
A woman jumping from her room during the Winecoff Hotel fire into a life net. This photo won a Pultzer Prize in 1947. She survived with serious injuries.
A life net on display at the Napa Firefighters Museum in Napa, California.
Vancouver fireman jumping into life net (1910)

A life net, also known as a Browder Life Safety Net or jumping sheet,[1] is a type of rescue equipment formerly used by firefighters. When used in the proper conditions, it allowed people on upper floors of burning buildings an opportunity to jump to safety, usually to ground level. Invented in 1887, the device was used with varying degrees of success during several notable fires in the 20th century. Due to advances in firefighting technology, it became obsolete by the 1980s. Owing to their former prevalence, life nets often feature in popular culture as a running gag, especially in cartoons where they often appear in use during scenes where a fire is taking place.

  1. ^ Swarbrick, Nancy (September 28, 2011). "Fires and fire services". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved October 13, 2012.