Abstract: A device for fighting fires in highrise buildings and towers is disclosed, whereby a pair of parallel arranged platforms are provided for alternative ascension up the side of the building in stepwise fashion. The upper platform is first released from fixed connection with the upper story to which it is attached and raised relatively to the lower platform still fixedly attached the story of the building below. After raising the upper platform to a higher story, it is fixedly attached to that story, whereupon the lower platform is released and raised toward the upper platform until it is positioned adjacent the story previously having the upper platform attached thereto. At this point, the lower platform is fixedly attached to that story. The process repeats a series of times to climb up the side of the building to the upper floors where a fire is burning to put out the fire and save lives. To descend, the process is simply reversed.

Abstract: An earthquake resistant self-balancing dome structure is provided which employs a counter-balanced self-adjusting weight system to adjust tension in supporting cables to which the dome is attached. As ground movement, such as that caused by an earthquake, causes relative movement between the cable supports and the supported dome, the weight system operates to adjust the tensile force in the cables to bring the system into equilibrium.