USA-SKYSAVER BACKPACK Backpack acts as self rescue device

Record ID: 135736

  • Title: USA-SKYSAVER BACKPACK Backpack acts as self rescue device
  • Date: 2nd October 2015
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) SKYSAVER'S VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND INTERNATIONAL SALES, YOAV PREISS, DEMONSTRATING SKYSAVER (SOUNDBITE) (English) YOAV PREISS, SKYSAVER'S VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND INTERNATIONAL SALES, SAYING: "As you know 9/11 had a big impact on the American people and across the world. And we saw that many solutions were
  • Embargoed: 17th October 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1T04Z7ZCCYGAKLPIFZ3KXVER1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11th, 2001 when al Qaeda hijackers crashed commercial planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
    Those events are still burned into people's memories and for one company, an idea was born from the tragedy to help save lives.
    "As you know 9/11 had a big impact on the American people and across the world," said Yoav Preiss, SkySaver's vice president of marketing and international sales.
    "We saw that many solutions were available post 9/11 but we didn't see an easy to use solution. SkySaver enables anyone to be able to use this device in order to save their lives."
    In cases of emergency like a burning building they can't escape, wearers strap on a 22 (10 kg) to 26 lb. (12 kg) backpack, attach its carabiner clip to a pre-installed hook fitted inside a building's window and descend at a rate of four to six feet per second safely to the ground.
    "It shouldn't take more than 15 seconds until you're outside the window," said Preiss.
    The backpack, priced from $749 (662 EUR) to $850 (751 EUR), extends either 80 feet (24 metres), 160 feet (49 metres) or 260 feet (79 meters) from the window to the ground.
    "We believe that every single life that's saved is saving the whole world and therefore we saw the exceptionally high numbers of high rise fires going on around the world and we decided to create this life saving device that can help you in a fire where no other option is available," said Preiss.
    "As a result we created an easy to use backpack that has a galvanized steel cable inside and allows you to a safe descent of about 4 to 6 feet."
    SkySaver carries individual users weighing between 66 lbs (30 kg) to 300 lbs (136 kg). The backpack went on sale beginning of August and is available on their Amazon store and at skysaver.com.
    The company has developed prototypes for pets and people weighing under 66 lbs that it expects to roll out to the public soon.
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