Japan Fire Stickers with Kurt Kohlstedt
High up and easy to miss if you’re not scouting for interesting architecture, there are equilateral triangles on building windows all over japan. The red triangle is a sticker indicating Fire Brigade Entrance (消防隊進入口) – It’s where firefighters know to lean their ladders and enter when rescuing people, and on the flip side it’s where people know to gather and expect rescue.
According to the Building Standards Law of Japan (Article 126 No.6), the fire brigade entrance must be indicated on buildings lower than 31 meters, have three or more stories without balconies, nor large windows. These conditions have been defined to ensure emergency services for buildings lower than 31 meters, the maximum reachable height of the fire ladder.
The inside of the sticker also carries an important message for occupants: don’t place things in front of this window! the last thing you want is to have to push and pull a huge copy machine out of the way to get to your rescue window. Like Knox boxes in America, often found on the side of buildings and containing emergency keys for firefighters, these triangles are everywhere, and once you start seeing them you won’t be able to stop.
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Those red triangles for fire fighters are also in China! Neat!
Regarding the fire escape windows, I have something even better.
I was staying in a hotel in Korea and I noticed that they do not have a fire escape staircase but a rappel kit. this was from the 9th floor.
I attached a youtube showing the kit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nDKmPLX2WA
You did leave out one place where “smell-o-vision” is working quite well. Theme Parks.
Specifically the Soarn’ attraction at the various Disney Parks. (also in rides like Pirates of the Caribbean or Spaceship Earth)
But this only works because it’s a dedicated experience that is not changing with regularity.
I remember going to the Power Plant, an indoor Amusement Park in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor as a kid. had a cinema with smells pumped in. Also, I recall at least one iteration of Soaring at EPCOT Center had smells, including gorgeous orange blossoms as you soared over California.
I’m dying to see the giant flower shop neon sign!