FIRE SAFETY - at Home and in Hotels
At Home ...
- Identify all possible exits from your home. Fires spread in random ways, so plan escape routes incase the staircase and ground floor doors are blocked.
- Locate two exits from each room, where possible. If the drop to the ground floor from upstairs is too hazardous, check what you could throw out - bedding for instance - to break the fall.
- Know the floor plan of your house, Identify outdoor features and obstacles. Remember a balcony or a garage can usually support the weight of a person.
- Agree on an outside meeting point with your family. Counting heads as quickly as possible after assembling outside, could be critical for someone still trapped in the house.
On Checking In To Your Hotel ...
- Place your key near your bed on your bedside locker.
- Look out of the window to orient yourself.
- Find out if the windows open.
- Find out where the fire exits are located.
- Count the number of doors from your room to the exist.
- Find the fire alarm in the corridor.
- Locate the fire extinguishers.
- Determine how yo would activate them if needed.
- Find out how to dial the Reception.
- Close all doors when you go to bed. Closed doors offer protection from heat and smoke and slow a fire's progress.
In Case of Fire
- Don't waste time getting dressed or searching for valuables.
- Take your key and go to the door.
- If there is smoke in the room - DO NOT STAND UP - smoke and gases rise.
- If smoke is coming under the door - DO NOT OPEN
- Otherwise, open the door and proceed to the fire exit.
- Close every door behind you.
- If you go to the nearest fire exit, close the door behind you. If you cannot go down the stairs, find another exit.
- If your exit route is filled with smoke and there is no other way out, get down to the 'safety zone' near the floor - and crawl.
- Do not be tempted to walk through smoke-filled halls and rooms.
If you must stay in your room
- Open a window if there is no smoke outside.
- Hang a sheet or blanket out of the window.
- If there is smoke outside, keep all the windows closed.
- Fill the bathtub with water and use the ice bucket or waste paper basket to bail.
- Wet some towels and/or sheets and block the crack around the door.
- Switch of all ventilators in the bathroom and any other parts of your room.
- If the switch cannot be found, block the vents with wet towels.
- If the doors and walls are hot, throw water on them with the ice bucket or waste paper basket.
- Keep everything wet.
TIPS ...
- Feel every door with the back of the hand for warmth before opening it. If it seems cool, double-check by testing the handle. If there is the slightest warmth or smoke seepage, keep the door closed and look for an alternative route.
- If the door is cool, crouch down and open it carefully - ready to slam it shut if confronted by heat or smoke. A fire that has died down may flare up when fed oxygen.
- Should your clothing catch fire, STOP, DROP and ROLL.
- If someone on fire starts to panic and run, knock him down and roll him until the flames are out.
- Have a family fire drill before leaving for your holiday
- Don't waste time getting dressed or searching for valuables