A few weeks back I saw a complete idiot standing out on the window ledge (also on the 2nd) floor of a Victorian building/house cleaning windows.
The upper sash had those handles on the underside of the bottom spar/bit of wood and he was holding on to them as a means to secure himself.
After he'd done the window his mate/whoever opened the window, he climbed inside and then the next window along opened and he repeated the whole process.
The thing was that not only was it the 2nd floor, but the place had a basement and being those huge old places, that's not far off the equivalent of 4 floors of a modern building.
I was like you, gobsmacked.