Building regulations stipulate that all first floor and above habitable rooms are fitted with an adequate fire escape. Windows can also be fitted with fire escape hinges (Egress) to provide quick effective and secure fire escapes. Some examples are given below...

BUILDING REGULATIONS B1 - Fire safety

• For a typical Domestic Dwelling (storeys not more than 4.5 Metres above ground level) Approved Document B Requires that all Habitable Rooms (living rooms & bedrooms but not bathrooms or kitchens) on and above the First Floor must be provided with Emergency Egress (escape).
• In addition, rooms at Ground Floor level whose' only Fire Escape is via another room are also required to be provided with suitable Escape Windows.
• This means an External Door (above ground floor) or Window that Complies with the Specification contained at 2.11 of the Document: Any window provided for emergency egress purposes and any external door provided for escape should comply with the following condition;
• The window should have an unobstructed openable area that is at least 0.33 Metres Square and at least 450mm high and 450mm wide. The bottom of the openable area should be not more than 1100mm above the floor.
• In practise this is achieved by fitting an Egress Brand Fire Escape Hinge to a Designated Casement Opening in each Habitable Room on & above the First Floor.

All windows to habitable rooms (but not kitchens, utility rooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms, W.C.s or shower rooms) at floors above ground level are required to be suitable for escape in the event of a fire. In addition, rooms at ground floor level whose only escape route is via another room must be provided with suitable escape windows.
A suitable escape window is defined as ‘a window whose unobstructed openable area is at least 0.33m2 and at least 450mm high and 450mm wide (a 450mm wide opening will need to be 735mm high). The bottom of the openable area should be no more than 1100mm above
the floor. Any key required to open the window should be readily available.