45-11-21 - Duty of hotel and lodging house keepers to provide means of escape.
§ 45-11-21. Duty of hotel and lodging house keepers to provide means of escape.
It is the duty of every keeper or proprietor of a hotel or lodging house of over two (2) stories in height to provide and securely fasten in every lodging room above the second story which has an outside window and is used for the accommodation of guests or employees, a rope or rope ladder, for the escape of the lodgers therein in case of fire, of at least one inch (1") in diameter, which shall be fastened therein as near a window as practicable, and of sufficient length to reach therefrom to the ground on the outside of the hotel or lodging house, and made of strong material and as secure against becoming inflamed as practicable. Such rope or rope ladder shall be kept in good repair and condition. In lieu of a rope or rope ladder, there may be substituted any other appliance that may be deemed of equal or greater utility by the fire department or authority having control of the fire regulations of the city or town where such hotel or lodging house is located; but such appliance shall in all cases be so constructed as to be under the control and management of any lodger.
Sources: Codes, 1892, § 2080; 1906, § 2264; Hemingway's 1917, § 4631; 1930, § 4688; 1942, § 6999.