High Rise Escape Systems (HRES), a Legacy Returning Champion in the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security, Public Safety and Government Excellence Awards Program for Seven Consecutive Years, is pleased to announce the company’s Guardian Self-Evacuation & Rescue System has been Nominated to Compete in the 2024 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.
Ryan Alles, the Founder of HRES, spent over a decade in U.S. emergency services as an EMT and professional Firefighter.
Frustrated and angered by the events of September 11, 2001, which proved once again how slow evacuations from high-rise structures can have fatal consequences, he worked to create solutions that the average citizen could afford.
Did you know that ninety-nine percent of the world’s fire ladder trucks cannot reach above the 7th floor?
(High Rise Escape Systems, Inc. was asked to contribute to Daily Planet’s 10th Anniversary Special on 9/11 on the Discovery Channel. We were proud to help get the word out about advances in Supplemental Evacuation since September 11th, 2001. Courtesy of the Discovery Channel, Ryan Alles and YouTube.)
HRES has a passion for helping others.
Made up of emergency service professionals, EMTs, and professional firefighters, HRES believes that in today’s complex environment, it is irresponsible to believe that emergency services will be obtainable, timely, and equipped to provide rescue from multi-story buildings, air traffic control towers (ATC), or other critical infrastructure environments in times of danger.
The Guardian Escape System provides simple, reliable, and inexpensive solutions for self-evacuation and rescue so people can genuinely plan two ways out.
(The future of fire escapes is here! Personal Evacuation Systems for buildings up to 100 floors. Protect your family and co-workers with our fixed-mounted or portable units. Inexpensive and easy to set up. Courtesy of HRES and YouTube.)
Step by Step – How it Works
The Guardian Escape System works by combining several simple, low-tech devices that require no power, are inexpensive, have a long shelf life, and are easy to use.
HRES Escape Systems can be installed as permanent or portable solutions for easy attachment to a structure.
Each system incorporates a Controlled Descent Device (CDD), which works like a pulley. Each CDD incorporates a poly-steel cable with a neoprene inner lining and a braided polyester jacket to protect it against abrasion, moisture, and heat.
Cable lengths are currently available up to 1000 feet (305 meters) or about 100 floors. Other options are available for locations exceeding these heights.
In operation, a user slides an Escape Harness over themselves, climbs over their balcony or window, and the CDD slowly lowers them automatically at 3 ft per second, comparable to a slow elevator’s descent.
As they descend, the opposite end of the cable automatically retracts and reloads the CDD for the next evacuee.
Then, the process repeats.
Everyone gets out.
Escape harnesses are permanently attached at each cable end, and full fire-resistant evacuation suits are also available.
The Guardian Escape System is a simple, reliable, and cost-friendly solution for emergency response – so that you and those you are responsible for always have two ways out.
HRES also offers heat-resistant evacuation suits to complement HRES systems and may be used in place of other harnesses for rescuers as they are oversized and straightforward to put on either yourself or others.
HRES harnesses and Fire Resistant Evacuation Suits are attached to a harness with heavy-duty Kevlar thread and connect to the CDD with a high-strength carabineer.
Designed with senior citizens, the mobility impaired, and the disabled communities in mind, they can also accommodate an adult and child together. They are made up of an Aluminized, Kevlar-style material that repels 95% of radiant heat.
HRES Fire Resistant Evacuation Suits are especially effective for assisted evacuation & rescue solutions for hospitals, facilities for disabled persons, child care facilities, and nursing homes.
Evacuation Suits offer:
-
Fire Protection
-
Abrasion Protection
-
Reduced fear of height for the victim
-
Can be put on much faster with less confusion
-
Doesn’t get tangled like other harnesses
-
Can be used with traditional rope rescue methods
The award-winning Guardian Escape System is an ideal solution for self-evacuation & rescue solutions for anyone living or working above the 2nd floor, and are widely utilized in government buildings, embassies, barracks, and air traffic control centers.
The Guardian Escape System is also an excellent solution for self-evacuation, assisted evacuation & rescue solutions for apartments, condominiums, hotels, theme parks, cranes, oil platforms, and ships.
The United States military has been utilizing Guardian Escape Systems on air traffic control towers such as Edwards AFB, Tinker AFB, Maxwell AFB, and Patrick AFB, as well as Army and Air National Guard installations such as Alpena CRTC and Grayling Air Gunnery Range.
With your support, HRES is proud to protect those who protect us all!
(The 7th Operation Support Squadron air traffic control tower demonstrates their new fire escape system from High Rise Escape Systems, which uses a swing arm and a pulley system to safely lower personnel to the ground in case of an emergency. This device is much safer than taking the stairs or the elevator. Courtesy of Dyess AFB and YouTube.)
Alles was appointed to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Building Code/Safety to Life Technical Committee on which he still serves.
He is also a founding member of the Safe Evacuation Coalition and participating member on the American Society of Testing and Material (ASTM) E06.77 committee on Supplemental Evacuation Devices.
Alles is also a member of the International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association (IACSP).
High Rise Escape Systems‘ current qualifications include the following:
-
National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Textbook example of Supplemental Evacuation Equipment – Life Safety Code Handbook
-
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has approved these products for their Tailored Logistics Support Program (TLS) to support our warfighters
-
U.S. DHS / Safety Act – Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology designation in 2007 to Present
-
NFPA Building & Life Safety Code / Means of Egress Section
-
DHS/Responder Knowledge Base – Registered Participant
-
Safe Evacuation Coalition – Founder & Member Est. 2006
-
International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association Member
-
ASTM E2484 Multi-Story Building External Evacuation Controlled Descent Devices–Member/Participant
Over the last decade, High Rise Escape Systems have evolved into an international team dedicated to creating solutions adaptable to your individual needs and expectations.
The company prides itself on providing confidential installations. Many of our clients utilize these technologies as part of their family’s personal security rather than a secondary means of fire escape.
To Learn More, please visit https://www.highriseescapesystems.com/ and ensure you and your associates always have two ways out.
High Rise Escape Systems Nominated to Compete in Eighth ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program
American Security Today’s Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program, and now entering its Eighth Year, continues to recognize industry leaders of Physical and Border Security, Cybersecurity, Emergency Preparedness – Management and Response, Law Enforcement, First Responders, as well as federal, state and municipal government agencies in the acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to Keep our Nation Secure.
HIGH RISE ESCAPE Systems
Best Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Recovery System
-
Guardian Evacuation System
-
The Guardian Evacuation System developed a fixed and/or portable escape system to attach to a structure, designed to mitigate means of egress for anyone living or working above the 2nd floor, including government buildings, embassies, barracks, hospitals, air traffic control towers, apartments, condominiums, hotels, industrial and job sites, theme parks, cranes, oil platforms, ships and more.
-
High Rise Escape Systems (HRES) accomplished this in a combination of several simple, low-tech devices that require no power, are inexpensive, have a long shelf-life, and are easy to use.
-
Using a Controlled Descent Device (CDD), which works like a pulley, a user slides one of two permanently attached escape harnesses over them, exits off of a balcony/roof structure or out of a window, and the CDD slowly lowers them automatically at the rate of 3 feet per second.
-
As the first user descends, the opposite end of the cable automatically retracts and reloads the CDD with the remaining escape harness for the next evacuee.
-
Then, the process repeats. Everyone gets out.
-
The United States Military has been utilizing High Rise Escape Systems Guardian Escape Systems on Air Traffic Control Towers for years, which includes the Ellsworth AFB, Dyess AFB, Vandenburg AFB, Edwards AFB, Tinker AFB, Maxwell AFB, and Patrick AFB as well as Army and Air National Guard installations such as Alpena CRTC, Grayling Air Gunnery Range & Selfridge ANG.
(See the HRES device in action as designed for the Dyess AFB ACT Tower which is much safer than taking the stairs or the elevator. Courtesy of Dyess AFB & YouTube.)
-
*HRES has now been recognized as an ‘ASTORS’ Award Champion in its Seventh Consecutive Homeland Awards Programs, respectively.
Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2024 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.
Comprehensive List of Categories Include:
| Access Control/ Identification | Personal/Protective Equipment | Law Enforcement Counter Terrorism |
| Perimeter Barrier/ Deterrent System | Interagency Interdiction Operation | Cloud Computing/Storage Solution |
| Facial/IRIS Recognition | Body Worn Video Product | Cyber Security |
| Video Surveillance/VMS | Mobile Technology | Anti-Malware |
| Audio Analytics | Disaster Preparedness | ID Management |
| Thermal/Infrared Camera | Mass Notification System | Fire & Safety |
| Metal/Weapon Detection | Rescue Operations | Critical Infrastructure |
| License Plate Recognition | Detection Products | COVID Innovations |
| Workforce Management | Government Security Programs | And Many Others to Choose From! |
Don’t see a Direct Hit for your Product, Agency, or Organization?
Submit your category recommendation to Michael Madsen, AST Publisher, at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
Homeland Security remains at the forefront of our national conversation as we experience an immigration crisis along our southern border and crime rates that are dramatically higher than before the Pandemic across the United States.
These challenges have become a national priority with an influx of investments in innovative new technologies and systems.
Enter American Security Today, the #1 publication and media platform in the Government Security and Homeland Security fields, with a circulation of over 75,000 readers and many tens of thousands more who visit our AST website at www.americansecuritytoday.com each month.
The pinnacle of the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program is the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards Ceremony Luncheon Banquet, an exclusive, full-course plated meal event in the heart of New York City.
The continually evolving ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security, Public Safety, and Government Excellence Awards Program will highlight the trail of Accomplished Women in Leadership in 2024.
So be on the lookout for exciting upcoming announcements of Speakers, Presenters, Book Signing Opportunities, and Attendees at the 2024 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon in November of 2024 in New York City!
In 2023, this exclusive sold-out event featured at ISC East, well over two hundred representatives of law enforcement, public safety, and industry leaders came together to honor the selfless service of those who stand on the front lines – and those who stand beside them – providing the capabilities and technologies to create a safer world for future generations.
Comprehensive collaborations between these private and public sectors have led to the development of innovative intelligence and technologies that serve to protect our Nation.
Steven Dettelbach, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives, delivered the keynote address at the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security and Excellence in Public Safety Awards Ceremony and Banquet Luncheon.
Director Dettelbach spoke with passion on the epidemic of Gun Violence by Illegal Guns taking place across the United States, which results in over 125 deaths daily and impacting generations of families – leaving open chairs at holiday events.
Firearm injuries were the leading case of death for children for the third year in a row, he explained, and have doubled in the U.S. since 2021, levels that are simply intolerable.
Director Dettelbach lauded the strong partnerships with Federal, State, Local, and Tribal Policing that ATF has earned and relies upon to reduce violence and spoke with admiration as a former prosecutor on the selfless sense of mission and drive that is universal across the entire First Responder Community.
The prestigious Annual ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program highlights the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today to ensure our readers have the information they need to stay ahead of the competition and keep our Nation safe – one facility, street, and city at a time.
The ‘ASTORS’ was specifically designed to honor distinguished government and vendor solutions that deliver enhanced value, benefit, and intelligence to end-users in a variety of government, homeland security, enterprise, and public safety vertical markets.
(See a few highlights during the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security and Government Excellence Awards Ceremony and Banquet Luncheon in NYC during ISC East on November 16, 2023. Courtesy of AST, My Pristine Images, and Vimeo.)
The 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program was Proudly Sponsored by Platinum Event Sponsor: NEC National Security Systems (NSS)
And Our RETURNING Premier Sponsors:
ATI Systems, Automatic Systems of America,
Guard Dog AI, IPVideo Corporation, Rajant Corporation, RX Global, SIMS Software, and American Security Today!
Why American Security Today?
The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old-school basics to what is Today – a fast-changing security landscape.
American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace and brings forward a fresh, compelling look and read with our customized digital publications that hold readers’ eyes throughout the story with cutting-edge editorials that provide solutions to their challenges.
Harness the Power of the Web – with our 100% Mobile Friendly Publications
AST puts forward the Largest and Most Qualified Circulation in Government with Over 75,000 readers on the Federal, State and Local levels.
AST Digital Publications are distributed to over 75,000 qualified government and homeland security professionals in federal, state, local, and private security sectors.
‘PROTECTING OUR NATION, ONE CITY AT A TIME’
AST Reaches Private and public Experts, which is essential to meeting these new challenges.
Today’s new generation of public safety and security experts need real-time knowledge to deal with domestic and international terrorism, lone wolf attacks, unprecedented urban violence, shifts in society, culture, and media bias – making it increasingly difficult for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security Professionals to implement coordinated security measures to ensure national security and improve public safety.
These experts are from the Government at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as from private firms allied to the government.
AST provides a full plate of topics in our AST Monthly Magazine Editions, AST Website, and AST Daily News Alerts, covering 23 Vital Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities, and Emergency Response among others.
AST has Expanded readership into integral Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants and Dams, Bridges and Tunnels, and other potential targets of terrorism.
Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting and Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools and Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – all enticing targets due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.
To learn more about ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners solutions, Be On the LookOut for the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS Edition Fully Interactive Magazine – the Best Products of 2023 ‘A Year in Review.’
The Annual CHAMPIONS edition reviews ‘ASTORS’ Award Winning products and programs, highlighting key details on many of the winning firm’s products and services, including video interviews and more.
It will serve as your Go-To Source throughout the year for ‘The Best of 2023 Products and Services’ endorsed by American Security Today and can satisfy your agency’s and/or organization’s most pressing Homeland Security and Public Safety needs.
From Physical Security (Access Control, Critical Infrastructure, Perimeter Protection, and Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Management Systems), to IT Security (Cybersecurity, Encryption, Data Storage, Anti-Malware, and Networking Security – to name a few), the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS EDITION will have WHAT YOU NEED to Detect, Delay, Respond to, and Mitigate today’s real-time threats in our constantly evolving security landscape.
It will also include featured guest editorial pieces from some of the security industry’s most respected leaders and recognized firms in the 2023 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.
For more information on All Things American Security Today, as well as the 2024 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
AST strives to meet a 3 STAR trustworthiness rating based on the following criteria:
- Provides named sources
- Reported by more than one notable outlet
- Includes supporting video, direct statements, or photos
 GUARDIAN SYSTEM is Nominated to Compete in Eighth 'ASTORS' Homeland Security Awards Program){kind=link}