Contemplating the prospect of a fire breaking out in a home or workplace can be unsettling, but Total Fire Group emphasizes the importance of preparedness. While it's a situation no one wishes to face, fires can occur unexpectedly, and individuals might instinctively take actions that inadvertently increase risk. Total Fire Group shares five critical guidelines to ensure safety during such emergencies.
Do Not Retrieve Valuables
During a fire, swift action is crucial as flames can rapidly obstruct escape routes. Despite the urge to retrieve valuable items or seek out pets, it's imperative to prioritize a safe exit. Consider storing important belongings on the ground floor or securing them in a fireproof safe to avoid compromising safety.
Avoid Opening Doors with Smoke
If smoke is visible around a door's edges, refrain from opening it, as doing so introduces oxygen that could fuel the fire and potentially cause a flashover. Open only necessary doors and close others to slow the fire's spread. Always test a door's temperature with the back of your hand before opening—if warm, keep it shut.
Assess Escape Routes Carefully
Although escaping through an upstairs window might seem like a viable option during a fire, it poses significant risks of injury or death. Prioritize ground floor exits when possible. If a window offers the only escape, consider using bed sheets as rope and cushioning the fall with mattresses or cushions.
Do Not Hide
The instinct to hide under beds or in cupboards during a fire is dangerous. Such actions limit mobility, making it harder to escape, and complicates rescue efforts by firefighters. Smoke and heat can quickly overcome these hiding spots, thus remaining visible and accessible is crucial.
Engage the Fire Brigade Promptly
Even if a fire initially appears manageable, it's vital to contact professional firefighters as early as possible. Delays in summoning help can result in lost time to salvage property and, more critically, can endanger lives. Total Fire Services offers fire risk assessments to ensure occupants have peace of mind and are well-prepared in emergencies.
A fire starting in the home or workplace is something no one likes to think about, and Total Fire Group hopes users will never have to go through this experience.
However, fires do happen, and users may be tempted to take certain actions, which could possibly put users or others at more risk.
They might seem like a good idea at the time, but there are certain things that users should never do in a fire. Total Fire Group listed 5 of them here.
Retrieving something valuable
A fire can spread rapidly, and before one knows it the escape routes will be blocked off
Remember, a fire can spread rapidly, and before one knows it the escape routes will be blocked off. Never attempt to go back upstairs to retrieve something valuable, or to look for a pet.
To make things easier, consider keeping these sort of items on the ground floor if possible, or securing them in a safe or fireproof box.
If users see smoke seeping through around the edges of a door, then do not open it. As this will add oxygen, that will fuel the fire and possibly cause a fireball. Only open doors that one needs to and close any doors that one doesn’t, in order to slow the spread of the fire. Before opening a door, lightly touch it with the back of the hand. If it’s warm, keep in closed.
Upstairs window
When a fire starts people may be tempted to quickly try and escape out of an upstairs window, but this is dangerous as the fall could seriously injure or even kill them. Assess the situation completely first, before users take this drastic action, as it’s always better to get outside from the ground floor if they can. However, if the window is the last hope, then tie up some bed sheets to form a rope and throw mattresses and cushions out to break the fall.
Being confronted with a fire in the home can be terrifying, and users might be tempted to hide away under a bed or inside a wardrobe or cupboard, but this will definitely not ensure safety.
Not only will this limit their ability to quickly move and run if people need to, but it will also make it difficult for the fire services to find them once they get there. Hiding away like this will not protect people from a rapidly spreading fire, and will certainly not save people from the smoke and heat.
Fire brigade
When a fire has just started, people may think that they have got everything in hand and that they have got plenty of time to react.
However, it’s essential that people swallow their pride and call the professionals straight away, once they realize they can’t extinguish the fire on their own. Every moment people delay in calling the fire brigade will eat away at the precious time they have to save their possessions and property. Not to mention, of course, that every second can save their life and others. At Total Fire Services, they provide fire risk assessments designed to give users complete peace of mind.
