By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A new harness that would allow people to escape skyscraper buildings in emergencies may be coming soon to an office nearby.
The device is modeled on a basic model of a fishing reel and is made of Kevlar rope, a harness and a braking system, according to the Rescue Reel website. The contraption was inspired by people who had to jump out of windows during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, inventor Kevin Stone said, according to the New York Times.
To use it, a person would attach the device to something sturdy inside the building and lower themselves down its side.
"Right now if you're in a disaster or fire or earthquake, your choices are to get down the stairwell or to try to get to the roof," inventor Kevin Stone explained on a CNN video on the Rescue Reel website. "Tall buildings will often get filled with people, and stairwells essentially become unusable."
Stone designed the contraption after watching people jump out of windows during the attacks, the New York Times reported.
"I was appalled that people couldn't get out," Kevin Stone, an orthopedic surgeon told the New York Times about his inspiration. "My immediate thought was, 'I can reel in a 400-pound fish. Why can't I real out a 400-pound person?"
Eventually, Stone hopes to sell Rescue Reels as mandatory safety devices, perhaps even to the New York Fire Department, he told the Times.
"We think it's a good tool for them with their bag of tricks," he told the Times.
Rescue Reels will run for about $2,000 a pop, and would be available for 30, 60 and 100-story length buildings. Stone hopes to have the reels ready for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, according to reports.
