Jumping From a Building

In the event of a fire you may have to jump from a building.

Caregiver222 does not recommend this, but will provide some advice from the days when he used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes for amusement. It certainly is not very effective from very high buildings but from a second floor window, its a better idea than landing on your head.

There is a "preferred" method of doing this. That method, well researched by the United States Army, is called the "PLF" or Parachute Landing Fall". A diagram is shown above. There are other drawings on the internet.

The concept is to fall using FIVE points of contact.

1) the balls of your feet
2) the calf muscle
3) the thigh muscle
4) the buttocks
5) the push-up muscle

If you have a cushion, throw it out the window to land on that. The general idea is to move the body in an arc as the PLF continues. Start the PLF when the balls of your feet touch the ground. Do not hesitate on the balls of the feet. Keep your chin "tucked in" on your chest and the neck tense. Use a twisting-bending motion, beginning in the hips to push the knees around, exposing the calf or thigh (right or left) as the legs "give" with the impact.

Your arms are used to PROTECT YOUR HEAD from impact.

[caregiver222]

On November 7th, 2010 a NYC subway trackworker plunged twenty-five feet from an elevated subway structure, landed on his feet on the asphalt highway, and rolled to the side, executing was was essentially a "PLF", as described above.  He executed a roll to the side, and although he has serious injuries, is expected to survive.