[ Desert Airman ]

[ The Stars and Stripes ]

By Jeff Herr

Before this week, rescue from the air-control tower at Davis- Monthan Air Force base would have taken at least 15 minutes, maybe more.

On Monday, however, rescue time was reduced to a couple of minutes when a $25,000 nylon tube was installed, providing escape from flames, natural disasters and even terrorists.

Without the Baker Life Chute, air controllers in the eight-story building would have to wait until a Tucson Fire Department ladder truck arrived, or until the 71st Special Operations Squadron could get a helicopter airborne.

Consequently, rescue from the 89-foot-high tower was very "time-restrictive," ranging from 15 to 45 minutes, said Master Sgt. Theodore Harris, chief of air-controller training at the base.

If the elevator and stairs were blocked by fire or natural disaster, there was no other way out, he said.

Davis-Monthan is the fifth Air Force base to install a life chute. Luke Air Force Base in Chandler also has one , said Pines, base spokesman.

Air controllers were trained to use the chute Tuesday, a very easy escape system in which one's legs control the rate of descent, or even stop the descent at midpoint, he said.

Ralph Baker, owner of a Delaware trucking firm, began developing the chute nearly eight years ago after watching flames trap people atop the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. A second firm has since been established to make the chutes, and now there is thought of expanding the company to accommodate increased demand, said his son, Mark.

To date, the military has bought six chutes and private companies have bought an additional 14, he said, adding that each chute is custom-designed for the building. They have already built one for an 18-story building.

Baker described the net as an oversize basketball net that flexes and gives with leg pressure from those inside. He said the chutes cost about $3,000 per story.