Fire safety if windows can't be opened?

[Roger465]

So I live in a bungalow, with 3 bedrooms at the rear end of a long hallway, and living room, dining room, bathroom, kitchen at the front end.

The old mahogany window frames at the rear are the only ones I haven't had replaced with modern units, and they’re leaking etc – time to go I think.

But here’s my dilemma… at the moment, my bedroom (window pictured below) is the only one you could climb out through in the event of a fire at the other end of the hall preventing you from reaching the doors.

It’s occurred to me that it would be (a) less prone to seal leaks, (b) cheaper to replace the frame with one which retains the top-opening windows for ventilation, but just 3 fixed glass panels at the bottom.

What do people think – would this be sensible, or a fire risk? I mean, in my last house, the bedrooms were all upstairs, with no way out if there was a fire downstairs…

Maybe I could just keep a big hammer under the bed??

Thanks

 

[Koolpc]

You need to change the windows so that you can get out easily in the event of a fire. Money vs life.....your choice.