Photo of Shanghai high-rise residential building fire

The recent Shanghai high-rise residential building fire has raised a great deal of concern regarding fire safety. Nowadays, buildings are being built higher and higher and mostly rely on external fire fighting protection. Moreover, smoke alarms and fire detectors seem to be a novelty in most residential buildings in China, which is why knowing how to react when you do find yourself in an emergency is all the more important. As the recent Shanghai fire sadly proved, once a high-rise fire starts, escape mainly depends one’s self. So how does one escape a high-rise fire? This is lesson that every urbanite must learn.

Checking for escape routes in a high-rise                                                
According to current construction fire safety requirements, high-rise buildings each display a diagram showing a means of escape and this must be placed in a very visible location; many elevators have them posted inside as well. So if you find yourself in a high-rise building, you should first look around for a safe escape route. If the suggested route is impossible or too difficult, you must find an alternative route.

Every home must have a fire extinguisher, escape rope and other tools. In addition to knowing how to use these tools, pay particular attention to the expiration date of fire extinguishers to ensure they are still in working order. It’s best to prepare several sets of smoke masks for each occupant in your home, because most people killed in fires are injured or killed through smoke inhalation.

General principles for escaping a high-rise building fire
During a high-rise building fire, keeping a clear head is essential. A key ingredient to survival, regardless of whether it’s a fire or any other catastrophe, is your mental attitude and this is commonly referred to as the psychology of survival. Many experts argue that your survival ultimately depends on how well your brain processes stress and the unfamiliar situation you find yourself in. Ultimately, your chances of survival don’t exclusively depend on your fire safety knowledge, but on how fast and well you react to the calamity. First manage the stress caused by the fire and take control of it. Calmly observe you’re surrounding environment and the fire. Quickly assess the fire’s behavior and the situation of the disaster so you can make a logical decision. You absolutely must not hesitate to leave the scene or any of your belongings behind – and this might seem like a no-brainer but, do not panic!

If a gas leak is found, people’s first reaction is to turn on the lights, but using electrical appliances could generate a spark that can cause an explosion. The correct approach is to open doors and windows for ventilation and call for help from somewhere else.

When dealing with an oil or grease fire, your first reaction might be to use water to extinguish the flames. The correct approach is to use a lid or cover to deprive the fire of oxygen, or use a cotton blanket or fire extinguisher.

Incase of electrical fire, people might try to focus on putting the fire out, rather than shutting off the electricity. With an electrical fire, it’s easy for a firefighter to be shocked, so the correct approach is to first turn off the electrical power supply.

It’s especially important to remember that during a fire hiding under the bed, in the closet or in the attic trying to escape the smoke and flames is an extremely bad idea. These are the most dangerous places to be in a fire scene, as it’s hard for firefighters to find and rescue you. Also, do not use the elevators in an evacuation. The elevator shaft acts like a chimney and power outages easily occur, potentially putting you in a more dangerous position.

Using the balcony or window to escape
If you are in your room and you learn of a fire in the building, first, before opening the door, touch the door knob to see if it is hot. If the knob is hot or there is smoke billowing in from under the door, do not rush to open it. If you are located on a high floor and rescue isn’t coming in time, you must not blindly jump from the window. You can either make use of the balcony for escape or use a rope, or make a make-shift rope out of bed sheets, and tie to a solid heavy object such as the bed frame to escape. You can lower yourself to a drainpipe and try to slide down; generally residences have water drain pipes between the balcony and windows which are relatively strong. If the drain pipe is of thin metal or plastic, they most likely cannot support your weight and must not be used.

Using a wet towel to cover your mouth and keeping low                                                                     
If there is a fire on the floor you are located on, run to the nearest emergency evacuation exit as quickly as possible; if there are fire doors they should be promptly closed. If the corridor is blocked or filled with smoke, you can wet a towel and fold it over your nose and mouth. If a wet towel is not available, a dry one will work as well.

When navigating a smoke filled area, you must not walk upright. Crawling on the ground and staying as low as possible is the best way to avoid smoke inhalation. As smoke rises, your head should be as close to the ground as possible. If possible, try to wrap the exposed parts of your body in wet clothes, towels or blankets in order to avoid being burned. If any part of your body catches fire, just remember to stop, drop and roll.

Run up or run down, don’t run the wrong way                                                               
In a fire situation, if the fire started above you, you should run downstairs. If the first started below you, try to escape down via the fire escape. If the way is blocked, run upstairs to the roof for safety. If during your escape route you find it blocked, try to find another means of escape as quickly as possible.

In lower buildings you may try to jump                                                                    
If living on the second floor, you may jump to escape, but as a very last resort. Before jumping, however, first throw some blankets, mattresses and other soft material to land on. You can also use sheets or other fabric to make a rope to lower yourself first. When jumping you may also want to hold some sofa cushions or other soft material, if none can be found, jump with your hands covering your head and your body curled into a ball. When you touch the ground try to roll so as to minimize injury from the impact. If trapped above the third floor, do not jump unless it is an absolute last resort.

Finally, remember that the emergency number for reporting fire and calling the fire brigade is the same throughout China – 119. Moreover, the number for medical assistance is 120. Don’t forget them and stay safe!

 

Source: Beijing Youth Daily 北京青年报

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Keywords: shanghai high rise fire how to escape high rise fire China high rise fire escape