Survival Skills: Fire Breakout
Ryan Nabil
April 22, 2009
The recent breakout of fire in Bashundhara City and a few other places have been a wake-up call for us to equip ourselves with knowledge about what to do in case of a fire breakout. Knowing what is the right thing to do in such a situation can be of utmost importance in terms of saving both lives and property.
Two Major Types Of Fire
There are two major types of fire breakout, which needs different treatment for taming it. Their description goes below:
1. Fire Originated From The Kitchen
Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, fire blanket and water can be used to extinguish a fire originated from kitchen, as opposed to fire originated from malfunctioning of electric instrument or short circuit where water must not be used. If a pan is on fire while in the kitchen, the first thing to do is put off the furnace as long as it is safe to do so. You must not use water on a pan on fire or use carbon dioxide fire extinguisher on a pan filled with oil. The best thing to do in that case would be to throw fire blanket over the pan on fire and if a blanket is not at hand, you can wet a thick cloth with water and throw it over the pan. But water can´t be used directly. If the fire can´t be stopped, it´s better to close the door to cut off air from the kitchen and get fire brigade there as soon as possible.
2. Electrical Fire
Electrical fire is caused due to use of defective electrical instruments, overload of outlets and short circuit. First rule for extinguishing electrical fire is "Never use water." Using carbon dioxide and fire blanket is effective in case of such a fire. It´s best to turn off the main power to the house but it´s often risky to do so. Fire maybe stopped immediately on disconnection of electricity to the house by turning off the main switch of electricity. If the main switch is out of the reach, the particular electric device which is on fire should be disconnected from electricity by pulling out the cord.
The Way Out
On hearing the smoke alarm or knowing that there´s a fire, you should alert everyone of the house. Your first and foremost priority must be getting out of the house as soon as possible. Never stop for collecting valuable things or money because in case of fire breakout, two or three minutes can make the difference between life and death. An ideal house should have more than one escape, so that one can get out if one escape route is blocked or already on fire
Crawling In The Dark
When you are around fire, you must stay away from the smoke. Actually, the harmful gas of the smoke, especially carbon monoxide accounts for more harm than the actual flames. If a person inhales such smoke for a few minutes, it can knock him out of consciousness. An exposure of nostrils to smoke for more than half an hour can eventually cause death. So, in order to stay away from the smoke, you should get on all fours and crawl, as smoke being lighter than air goes upward; therefore, the lower layer of air is free of poisonous gases. Wet a cloth and hold it over your nose so that smoke can´t enter through your nose.
If Your Cloth Catches Fire
What you must not do when your cloth catches fire is run around, as that will only result in more oxygen for the fire. Instead, what you must do is: stop, drop and roll. Cover your face with your hand and roll over the ground, so as to cut off supply of air for the fire and thereby to stop the fire. Alternately you can wrap yourself in a blanket, which will also result in reduced oxygen for the fire and stop the fire.
If Your Escape Routes Are Blocked
If your escape route is blocked by fire or smoke, you should get into a room with a large window through which you can escape or firefighters can see you. Alternately, you can be confined to a room because of fire. In such a case, if you see smoke coming from under the door, it means there´s fire on the other side of the door. Fill the bottom opening of the door and the gaps along the edge of door with blanket, bed sheet or any other type of clothing to prevent heat and smoke from entering the room. Now, you should inform fire brigade and try to break the window using tools or if not available, some heavy furniture against it. If you can´t break it, stand near the window and hang a piece of white cloth in the window to indicate you are there.
Escaping From The Heights
If you are stuck in the first or second floor and you have broken the window, you can get out from there almost safely by throwing some bedding on the place where you will land and then jumping by lowering yourself to your arms length from the ledge of the window. This will greatly reduce the effect of falling from a great height. But if you are in a high rise building you can´t escape unless the firefighters arrive and arrange for an emergency ladder. High rise buildings are built with fire-proof materials and you are probably safer in your own room as long as the smoke and heat doesn´t enter into your room. Stay near the window so that firefighters can see you and hang a piece of white cloth to indicate you are there. Call the fire brigade if you have a phone and if you don´t, shout to others to do so. But remember, never hide anywhere. If you hide, the firefighters might not be able to find you amidst the smoke and the flames.
Calling The Emergency
When you call the emergency, make sure you are loud and clear enough and give three basic information- your address, what is on fire, for example, a duplex and your location in the building.
Never Go Back
Never go back inside the fire to rescue your loved ones or restore your precious property. Such things happen only in movies like Spiderman and Superman. If you go back in, it will only increase the toll of casualties and the number of persons the firefighters will have to look for and will actually delay the process of getting your beloved ones rescued.
Lastly…
In high schools of the United States, fire drills are practiced regularly. Doing such things at home can greatly enhance the chances of escaping a fire unhurt. Try to practice under a number of conditions, for example if the fire breaks out at night or the main escape route is blocked by fire and smoke. It´s best to try getting to a safe location within two or three minutes while practicing home drill.
That´s all for now. Stay safe and take necessary preventive measures so that the steps mentioned above don´t have to be applied in real life.
Two Major Types Of Fire
There are two major types of fire breakout, which needs different treatment for taming it. Their description goes below:
1. Fire Originated From The Kitchen
Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, fire blanket and water can be used to extinguish a fire originated from kitchen, as opposed to fire originated from malfunctioning of electric instrument or short circuit where water must not be used. If a pan is on fire while in the kitchen, the first thing to do is put off the furnace as long as it is safe to do so. You must not use water on a pan on fire or use carbon dioxide fire extinguisher on a pan filled with oil. The best thing to do in that case would be to throw fire blanket over the pan on fire and if a blanket is not at hand, you can wet a thick cloth with water and throw it over the pan. But water can´t be used directly. If the fire can´t be stopped, it´s better to close the door to cut off air from the kitchen and get fire brigade there as soon as possible.
2. Electrical Fire
Electrical fire is caused due to use of defective electrical instruments, overload of outlets and short circuit. First rule for extinguishing electrical fire is "Never use water." Using carbon dioxide and fire blanket is effective in case of such a fire. It´s best to turn off the main power to the house but it´s often risky to do so. Fire maybe stopped immediately on disconnection of electricity to the house by turning off the main switch of electricity. If the main switch is out of the reach, the particular electric device which is on fire should be disconnected from electricity by pulling out the cord.
The Way Out
On hearing the smoke alarm or knowing that there´s a fire, you should alert everyone of the house. Your first and foremost priority must be getting out of the house as soon as possible. Never stop for collecting valuable things or money because in case of fire breakout, two or three minutes can make the difference between life and death. An ideal house should have more than one escape, so that one can get out if one escape route is blocked or already on fire
Crawling In The Dark
When you are around fire, you must stay away from the smoke. Actually, the harmful gas of the smoke, especially carbon monoxide accounts for more harm than the actual flames. If a person inhales such smoke for a few minutes, it can knock him out of consciousness. An exposure of nostrils to smoke for more than half an hour can eventually cause death. So, in order to stay away from the smoke, you should get on all fours and crawl, as smoke being lighter than air goes upward; therefore, the lower layer of air is free of poisonous gases. Wet a cloth and hold it over your nose so that smoke can´t enter through your nose.
If Your Cloth Catches Fire
What you must not do when your cloth catches fire is run around, as that will only result in more oxygen for the fire. Instead, what you must do is: stop, drop and roll. Cover your face with your hand and roll over the ground, so as to cut off supply of air for the fire and thereby to stop the fire. Alternately you can wrap yourself in a blanket, which will also result in reduced oxygen for the fire and stop the fire.
If Your Escape Routes Are Blocked
If your escape route is blocked by fire or smoke, you should get into a room with a large window through which you can escape or firefighters can see you. Alternately, you can be confined to a room because of fire. In such a case, if you see smoke coming from under the door, it means there´s fire on the other side of the door. Fill the bottom opening of the door and the gaps along the edge of door with blanket, bed sheet or any other type of clothing to prevent heat and smoke from entering the room. Now, you should inform fire brigade and try to break the window using tools or if not available, some heavy furniture against it. If you can´t break it, stand near the window and hang a piece of white cloth in the window to indicate you are there.
Escaping From The Heights
If you are stuck in the first or second floor and you have broken the window, you can get out from there almost safely by throwing some bedding on the place where you will land and then jumping by lowering yourself to your arms length from the ledge of the window. This will greatly reduce the effect of falling from a great height. But if you are in a high rise building you can´t escape unless the firefighters arrive and arrange for an emergency ladder. High rise buildings are built with fire-proof materials and you are probably safer in your own room as long as the smoke and heat doesn´t enter into your room. Stay near the window so that firefighters can see you and hang a piece of white cloth to indicate you are there. Call the fire brigade if you have a phone and if you don´t, shout to others to do so. But remember, never hide anywhere. If you hide, the firefighters might not be able to find you amidst the smoke and the flames.
Calling The Emergency
When you call the emergency, make sure you are loud and clear enough and give three basic information- your address, what is on fire, for example, a duplex and your location in the building.
Never Go Back
Never go back inside the fire to rescue your loved ones or restore your precious property. Such things happen only in movies like Spiderman and Superman. If you go back in, it will only increase the toll of casualties and the number of persons the firefighters will have to look for and will actually delay the process of getting your beloved ones rescued.
Lastly…
In high schools of the United States, fire drills are practiced regularly. Doing such things at home can greatly enhance the chances of escaping a fire unhurt. Try to practice under a number of conditions, for example if the fire breaks out at night or the main escape route is blocked by fire and smoke. It´s best to try getting to a safe location within two or three minutes while practicing home drill.
That´s all for now. Stay safe and take necessary preventive measures so that the steps mentioned above don´t have to be applied in real life.
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