Why I Created SaferHome.com

One day as I arrived home, I noticed the window well outside my daughter's bedroom. I thought to myself, if there was a fire and she had to escape, would she be able to get past the heavy decorative grate that we installed on top of her window well? I knew it was difficult to lift and prop open the grate in order to clean leaves and other stuff out of the window well. And I surely wouldn't want to try to escape up the ladder in an emergency, only to be hindered by the grate. I knew that an adult could probably do it without getting hurt, but it wouldn't be easy. My daughter? No way. That made me think twice about letting my daughter sleep in a room that had a metal grate on top of its window well.

I decided to search to see if there was anything I could purchase or rig up that would make the job of opening up and propping open a heavy decorative grate simple and safe (or even do-able). Nothing! I even learned of a story nearby where a little girl was trapped in a burning home and was stuck in the window well unable to get past the grate. The story ended well because a neighbor heard her screams and came and lifted the grate and helped her out of the window well. She survived with minor smoke inhalation. Believing that 'necessity is the mother of invention', I decided this was a necessity!

I recruited a local engineer and brainstormed with him until we had invented the (now patented) GrateLift window-well metal-grate lifter. This product exceeded my expectations in that it makes it simple and intuitive for anyone, including a very small child, to use the GrateLift to simply prop open the grate and climb out to safety. Due to the spring assist that we incorporated into the Lift, an unexpected advantage of the device is that you receive the benefits of ease and safety, even when lifting the grate from outside the window well. We made it quick and easy to install without any special knowledge and a minimum of tools.

The GrateLift product is unique, and it makes window-well egress safe and easy for my family... and for everyone else. But safety doesn't stop there. We needed a ladder system that can be easily installed in almost all window wells, so we developed the WellEscape Ladder System to complement the GrateLift.

And there are other things we can do to make our homes safer. As we grow and expand, we will add other safety products that will continue to make your home a safer and more comfortable shelter against fires or other disasters.

-- David Ruff, Owner
SaferHome.com