ᐅ Is an emergency override for blinds on the upper floor strictly necessary?

Grantlhaua schrieb:

But a 3-year-old child will hardly be able to roll up the shutters

Pffeffersprayers' child isn't even that old yet, I estimate about six months.
But a 6-year-old can definitely operate them, and so can the mom with the cat under her arm.

That’s why I said it wasn’t meant entirely seriously. Still, the two statements confuse me when compared to each other.

But yes, I do trust firefighters to remove the roller shutter in seconds. The guys I know are not hesitant at all. A child is a different matter, but if the child is able and not shocked at the moment, they should be able to kick through a roller shutter.

Ultimately, however, I don’t want to argue against the hand crank; it definitely makes sense. It can save lives.

If the roller shutters can no longer be raised during a power outage caused by a fire and the fire department arrives, they won’t know which room on the upper floor they need to enter. If you’re unlucky, they might break all the other shutters first before realizing which is the last room. It also takes several minutes for them, standing on the ladder, to break the shutters without injuring themselves. And it’s even more difficult if there is a closed window behind the shutter.

And if the fire is so severe that waiting for the fire department is no longer an option, then you simply have to jump out the window. It’s shocking that the general contractor doesn’t have this in mind—you definitely shouldn’t try to save money on this.

It can’t be just any window; it must be possible to access it with a ladder and it has to be reachable. Behind a solid fence is difficult.

Grantlhaua schrieb:

I would really like to know how that is supposed to work. The window is usually 4m (13 feet) above ground level.

As mentioned, this concerns an emergency escape route, not a means of escape for burglary or similar. The fire department must be able to set up a ladder there, and the window has to be suitable (dimensions, sill height).
At the neighbor's place, they even consulted based on the fire department’s equipment to check if the planned emergency exit would work (it didn’t).

What consequences could I face if I don’t have a second escape route, aside from serious situations like a fire?

Could the insurance refuse coverage? Or could there be other penalties?

Well, theoretically you won’t get a building permit / planning permission. However, it seems you already have one. In practice, the consequence is usually only a failed or delayed rescue in the case of the most extreme emergencies.