Escape Screens: Security That Doesn’t Trap You Inside
A security screen is designed to resist opening from the outside — that’s the whole point. But if every window in a bedroom is fixed, welded shut, or locked down for security, you’ve also removed a way out if there’s a fire and the hallway isn’t an option. That’s the problem an escape screen solves: full AS 5039 security against someone trying to get in, and a genuine, quick, keyless way to get out from the inside.
Escape Screens: Security Windows You Can Still Get Out Of
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Why not every window should be fixed
The National Construction Code doesn’t set a room-by-room rule requiring a dedicated escape window in every bedroom, the way some overseas codes do. What it does regulate directly is fall prevention: under NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, Part 11.3 (Barriers and handrails), clause 11.3.7, any window with a floor level 2 metres or more above the ground below, and an opening less than 1700mm above the internal floor, must be fitted with a device that either restricts the opening to 125mm or resists a 250N outward force.
That rule exists to stop children falling — but it creates the exact tension this page is about. A hard restrictor that locks a window to 125mm satisfies the fall-prevention rule, but if it can’t be released quickly from the inside, it can turn that same window into something you can’t get through in an emergency. Building certifiers and fire services commonly recommend nominating at least one easily openable window per bedroom as part of a home fire escape plan, precisely because bedrooms are where people are asleep and slowest to notice a fire starting. An escape screen is how you satisfy the fall-prevention requirement and keep that window usable as a way out, rather than choosing one or the other.
How the Prowler Proof hinge window escape screen works
Our hinge window screen is built to the AS 5039 standard, the same welded corners, and features the H.I.T.® hidden fixing channel — there’s no security trade-off for the added function. What’s different is the hardware: European-designed, multi-point locking secures the sash fully around its perimeter against anyone trying to force it from outside, while a purpose-built dual-action handle means it can’t be knocked open by accident, but opens immediately, without a key, from the inside. The sash also lifts fully out for cleaning both the screen and the glass behind it.
In practice, most homes don’t need every window built this way — a hinge window escape screen is typically nominated for one opening per bedroom, or wherever a room doesn’t have a direct path to an exterior door, with fixed or fall-prevention screens used elsewhere.
Security Doors and Hinge Window Escape Screen Solutions
Our Range
ForceField®️
Marine-grade stainless steel mesh, nearly invisible, without giving up strength.
Protec
Perforated aluminium sheet, more rigid, better for coastal homes.
Guardian®️
Fall-prevention mesh that lets upper-storey windows open safely.
Diamond
Welded grille, colour-matched to your frame, at the most accessible price.
Heritage
Cast panel doors for character homes — style ahead of security rating.
Insect Screens
Welded-corner flyscreen that won’t gap like a bargain screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not as a standalone rule for existing Class 1 houses. The NCC directly regulates fall prevention (Part 11.3.7) for windows above a certain height, and it’s common practice among builders, certifiers and fire services to treat one easily operable window per bedroom as the designated emergency exit — but it’s a safety recommendation and certification consideration rather than a blanket legal requirement for every home.
Both are built and tested to the same standard, AS 5039. A fixed security screen is designed to resist opening from either side — it’s not meant to open at all. An escape screen (a hinge window screen) also resists forced entry from outside, but has a keyless quick-release mechanism so it opens immediately from the inside.
No. The multi-point locking and welded frame are the same construction used across the range — the quick-release feature only operates from the inside, so it doesn’t create a way in from outside.
Yes. It’s measured and fitted to your existing window opening by a certified local dealer, the same as any other Prowler Proof screen.
Not necessarily, unless you want easy access for cleaning, but most homes use one designated escape window per bedroom, with fixed screens (for windows that don’t need to open) or Guardian® fall-prevention screens (for upper-storey windows) on the rest.
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