A personal escape and rescue device comprising a descent mechanism having a pair of plates having opposing undulating faces each comprising at least one peak and at least one trough defined along the length of the undulating face, and a control mechanism for displacing the plates relative to one another in a direction along the length of the undulating faces thereby adjusting the disposition of the opposing undulating faces relative to one another thereby setting the distance between the trough and the opposing peak; a body harness to support a descender, the descent mechanism being attached at an upper location of the harness whereby the descender is in a stable position; and a strap/cable, of a length to provide descent to safety, reeved between the faces of the descent mechanism, and comprising an anchoring arrangement.