5 ways to stay alive during fire outbreak

March 1, 2018 7:00 PM

Your first priority in case of fire outbreak is to get yourself and your family members out as quickly as possible.

The importance of knowing what to do in case of fire outbreak cannot be overemphasized.

Because how you react in the event of fire depends solely on how well you've prepared yourself for it.

However, people tend to think that it is likely not possible to fall victim to a house fire. But what is important to realize that it is of your own interest to know what to do should the unexpected happens.

Owing to this, your first priority in case of fire outbreak is to get yourself and your family members out as quickly as possible. And most importantly, under no circumstance should you stop to get your valuables.

If you want to know how to stay safe during a house fire, as well as increasing your chances of survival, simply follow these safety precaution:

1. Be quick to react the moment you see or hear any sign of fire

Try to exit the house as safely as possible the moment you hear your smoke detector or alarm goes off.

Do NOT try to find your phone, valuables, or anything you deem important. Your only concern is to get out of the house as soon as you can and nothing else is as important as this.

Much emphasis is being placed on this because a lot of people have lost their lives in the process of getting something out of burning house without knowing they have a limited time to escape.

Therefore, be wise to ignore all secondary concerns that have nothing to do with staying alive. However, if it is nighttime, draw attention by crying out for help.

2. Check for smoke before exiting through door

Don't go through the door if you see smoke coming under it! Because wherever there's smoke fire is expected to follow.

But if there's no smoke coming beneath the door then place the back of your hand up to the door to know if it feels hot or not.

If it's cool, as it is expected to be without smoke, you should open it slowly and pass through it.

Note

If the door is open and there is a fire preventing you from exiting the room, close the door to protect yourself from the fire.

And if the door is hot or there's smoke under it and there are no other doors to pass through, your only choice is to find a way to escape through a window.

3. Try to ward off smoke if you can't get out

Admittedly, this can be quite difficult but you must try not to panic if you can't escape from the house. Take some measures to ward off the smoke and stay safe till you get help.

And in other to ward off the smoke, all you need do is to close the door and cover all vents and cracks around it with cloth or tape to keep the smoke out for as long as you can.

It is important to emphasize that you must avoid panicking as it might drive you to danger.

4. Drop to the ground and roll if your clothes catch fire

Should it happen that your clothes catches fire, stop whatsoever you're doing immediately and drop flat to the ground. Roll around as this will help put out the fire quickly.

Remember to cover your face with your hands as you're rolling to protect yourself.

5. Do a head count

A head count should be done if you're not alone in the house before the fire. And if anybody is missing, re-enter the the the building only IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.

Tell the first responders immediately on their arrival if someone is missing. But if everyone is accounted for, no one should go back inside the building for any reason.

Safety precautions for preventing fire

ALSO READ: How to use fire extinguisher to fight fire outbreak

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