Responding to fire breakouts

By Philip Macharia

NAIROBI, KENYA, Nov. 22 - A lot of people have seen a set of rules of what to do if a fire breaks out pinned strategically on the wall. Many of those suggestions might seem outright dumb, but actually have a sound reasoning behind them.

Here are a few.

Do not panic

Remaining calm when under pressure is key to making rational decisions that would enable you to make right choices. Acting out of panic, more often than not, results in a bad situation turning worse.

Locate the fire alarm bell, break the glass and set it off

Fire alarm bells are strategically located in every floor of a commercial building. They are mostly located near the doors and are secured in easily breakable glass. Setting off the alarm makes all the building occupants aware of the imminent danger and take the initiative to leave the building.

Shout ‘FIRE! FIRE!’ to alert everyone in the building of the danger

For some, locating the alarm and setting it off would seem like a lifelong task, especially, when facing real danger. As a result, the next best thing such persons would do before fleeing to safety is to shout ‘FIRE! FIRE!’ to alert other occupants. This is still as effective as the alarm bell although the message is passed to only a few persons mainly on the same floor of the building.

If the fire is of a manageable magnitude, locate the nearest fire extinguisher, remove the safety pin and direct the nozzle to the base of the fire while pressing to put it out:

If the fire is well within your ability to handle, you are advised to take full advantage of these equipment and put it out.

However, many people are usually unaware of how to operate these simple life-saving tools. The good news is that each of them comes with a printed set of instructions — four or five steps at most.

Do not waste time collecting valuables or locking them up in safe places: 

A lot of people have a problem with this instruction. Attachment to valuables like handbags, I-pads and laptops cause people to waste precious time before leaving the structure exposing them to more danger. The simple advice given is that you are worth more than the gadgets, just leave.

Close the doors behind you when you leave but do not lock them up to avoid fire spread and locking other persons respectively:

Closing the doors behind oneself while exiting the structure slows down the rate at which the fire spreads. Locking them up is a capital no. This is because in such circumstances, you are never sure if you are the last person to exit.

You might just cost a friend’s life by locking him/ her in. The guilt and regret that would follow is not something any of us would want to live with for the rest of their lives.

Do not use lifts for exit:

Elevators are a no go zone in case of a fire breakout. They are electrically run and many electrical faults arise when fires break out. Many of the times, electrical faults are the main cause of the fire. Using a lift would turn out to be the shortest route to disaster rather than safety.

Do not attempt to jump through windows to safety:

This is an instinct prompted by panicking, the very first thing you should never do. Jumping out of the window is akin to taking to your heels after being spotted by a lion 500 metres away instead of climbing up the tree right beside you.

Jumping out of the window could result in you breaking your limbs, being hit by vehicles on the road given that many buildings are surrounded by roads, or even at worst losing your life instantaneously.

Do not move towards the roof, always move to the fire escape route: Naturally, human beings tend to consider taking short cuts as opposed to the right paths. Unfortunately, short cuts have many a time turned out to be too long to the utter detriment of many.

Moving towards the roof of your office building when under fire could be disastrous, especially when you find the roof exit closed. This would trap you at the top most floor of the building and even make rescue attempts a nightmare for the firemen.

Go to the designated fire assembly point and group as per your floor number for head counting:

People are advised to group as per floor of the building for easy head counting so as to determine whether there are any trapped persons inside the building.

Every building occupant is usually advised to show up at the fire assembly point. This simplifies operations and achieves a sense of order as all the necessary measures are taken to bring the situation under control.

Other instructions are quite straightforward like; call emergency lines for help; do not attempt to put out the fire if it is overwhelming; use the nearest fire exit to safety, and shouting for help if trapped, among others.

 — The writer is a valuer/property manager with Milligan International Limited