Fire! When they smell the smoke

‘Fire! Fire!’- Two words that can turn a peaceful event into complete pandemonium. As much as all fire notices read, ‘In the event of a fire, don’t panic,’ this advice would readily fly out the window, if the dreaded situation occurs. Just talking about fire is enough to give one the chills, but you can worry less about this menace if you and your child are equipped with enough knowledge to get away safely.

Being safe
If your child is in a room where the door is closed at the time of the fire break out, instruct them to:

Check if there is fire on the other side, by looking to see if there is heat or smoke coming in through the cracks around the door

If there is smoke coming from under the door, they shouldn’t open the door:

If they don’t see smoke and the door is not hot, then they can use the fingers to lightly touch the doorknob.If the doorknob is hot or very warm, they should not open the door! 

If the doorknob feels cool, and they can’t see any smoke around the door, they can open the door very carefully and slowly. When they feel a burst of heat after opening the door, or smoke pours into the room, they should quickly shut the door and make sure it is really closed.

If there’s no smoke or heat when they open the door, they should go toward your escape route exit.

Making an escape
If they can see smoke in the house, they should stay low to the ground as they make their way to the exit. Smoke and poisonous fumes cause more damage to people than the actual flames do. They will breathe less smoke if they stay close to the ground, by crawling on their hands and feet. Smoke naturally rises, so if there is smoke while using the escape route, staying low means they can crawl under most of it.

Exiting through a door that leads outside should be the first choice. However, they should consider the possibility of escaping through other means like the windows – especially if the room is on the ground floor.

If they can’t get out fast, because fire or smoke is blocking an escape route, they should yell for help. They should do this from an open window or dial an emergency number. Ensure you warn your kids against hiding under the bed or in a closet no matter how scared they are. This will only make the fire fighter have a harder time finding them.

Meanwhile, advice them to keep heat or smoke from getting through the door, by blocking the cracks around the door with blankets or other clothing. They should open the window and stand in front of it. If possible, they can escape through it. If they can’t, have them hold a piece of cloth, preferably a wet one over their mouth to keep them from breathing in the smoke.

If their clothes catch fire, tell them to stop, drop and roll. They should shout for help but never run, as running makes fire burn faster.

If you have a collapsible ladder that can be used for escape from the upper floors of a house, make sure your kids know how to use it correctly, so they can use it in a real fire emergency.

Have a central meeting point where your family members can meet outside. This can help you know if everyone is safe or if there is someone trapped in the house.

Stress the importance of ensuring that they escape safely first, as opposed to rescuing a favorite toy or pet, or even dialing for help. They mustn’t stay in the house longer than they should.

END: BL 34/32