fire escape
noun1
Any of the series of emergency doors, ladders, or stairs used to evacuate a building if a fire breaks out.
- Eight ladies with Ugandan associations had ascended the fire escape and were making their way through his room.1975, Private Eye, numbers 340–366, page 198:
2
The entire escape route viewed as a whole.
3
Historical Any apparatus designed to allow people to escape a burning building, such as a canvas tube for sliding down.