Whenever there is a fire or the alarm monitoring for fire goes off, it is imperative that you act quickly. Begin by alerting everyone in the house about the fire by shouting “fire, fire” before you can embark on safely evacuating the building. As a standard procedure, every home should have an escape route planned in case of fire and as the occupants of the home; you need to be well aware of it. In the event that there is no plan and you missed the alarm monitoring only to realize that the house is on fire, do the following:
- Don’t waste time trying to save valuable items
- Don’t investigate the source of the fire
- If there is already smoke in the room, crawl your way out to avoid inhaling the smoke. While on the floor, try to keep your nose as low as possible.
- In case you are trapped inside one of the rooms and you can’t locate any exit, stay calm, keep the door closed and call for emergency help immediately. Walk to the nearest window and signal for help. Don’t panic or even think of jumping.
What if your clothes catches fire
If your clothes catch fire, don’t run around since this will do nothing but continue fanning the flames. Lie down to stop the flames from spreading and if you can access a heavy material like a blanket or a coat, use it smother the flames. Alternatively, you can roll around as a method of smothering the flames.
Don’t go back in
Once you are out of the house on fire, never attempt going back inside, even if there is someone still inside. Wait for the emergency services to arrive and advice them on the last known location of the people inside as well as the probable source of the fire.
Fires at home may sometimes be inevitable, but by investing in a good alarm monitoring system for fire, occurrence of home fires can be reduced significantly. It is also important that apart from the alarm monitoring system, every member of the family should be well educated on how to act in instances of fire.
