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nine tips to survive a house fire
according to firefighters
if you fall victim to a house fire the
best thing you can do is keep calm and
try not to panic easier said than done
right luckily knowing what to do in this
emergency situation will greatly
increase your chances of surviving
before you find out the course of action
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fires can spread at a truly alarming
speed most things around you can crumble
to ashes in mere seconds that's why you
have to act as soon as you hear your
fire alarm go off 1 prepare an escape
plan in advance so as to not lose your
bearings you should always have an
escape plan ready it's even better if
you write it down on paper try to
prepare for different situations and
create at least three escape routes
described in your plan exactly how
you'll evacuate your home who will be
the leader during the evacuation process
where you'll meet up after everybody has
left the house and how you'll call for
help to keep rope ladders on top floors
if your house has more than one floor
it's a good idea to acquire fire escape
ladders and put them in several
strategic locations on top floors this
way if the downstairs gets blocked off
by a fire you'll have another way to
escape the burning house 3 exit your
house immediately after you hear the
fire alarm or notice a fire people die
because instead of running for their
life they try to save all their
valuables documents gadgets money and so
on forget about all that your only
concern should be gathering your family
members and pets and
the house safely four doors will help
you during a fire wooden doors can
provide good protection from both smoke
and heat on top of that they can prevent
a fire from spreading an effective
strategy can be escaping from one room
to another and closing doors behind you
at the same time be extremely cautious
when you open a door there may be a fire
waiting for you on the other side if you
realize that the doorknob or the door
itself is too hot to touch or you see
smoke coming through the cracks do not
open the door even if everything seems
alright open every door with the utmost
care to avoid unnecessary risk this way
you'll be able to shut it right away if
you spot a fire raging behind it if you
realize that the only way to leave the
house is through a window make sure the
doors are shut a draft from an open
window can aggravate a fire in a matter
of seconds 5 make an improvised
respirator
this may sound unexpected but during a
house fire the fire itself isn't the
main danger what kills people much
faster than flames is smoke smoke is a
powerful irritant to your nose throat
and eyes and it's smell is nauseating if
you inhale smoke you can irreversibly
harm your lungs you should remember that
smoke from a house fire is toxic since
burning objects release harmful gases
once you start to inhale smoke your body
stops getting enough oxygen
depending on the heat and density of the
smoke people usually lose consciousness
and died due to brain damage in no more
than 5 to 15 minutes that's why it's of
the utmost importance to know how you
can protect yourself from smoke
inhalation if the situation allows you
can make a DIY gas mask that will act as
a respirator grab a plastic bottle or
container that's big enough to cover
your face and cut off its bottom after
that cut a u-shaped opening for your
head in one of the sides don't make it
too big the mask won't fit you tightly
enough and smoke will get into your eyes
and nose take a kitchen sponge and wet
it with water after that push the sponge
into the neck of the bottle to serve as
a filtration device the final step is to
remove the lid of the bottle the
respirator isn't perfect but it will
give you some precious time to exit the
house if you don't have the necessary
materials at hand place a wet cloth or
piece of clothing in such a way that it
covers both your mouth and nose
unfortunately this method leaves much to
be desired it will buy you no more than
a couple of additional minutes but even
so these minutes may turn out to be
game-changing 6 stay away from fabrics
close curtains bed sheets and table
cloths pose a serious danger during a
fire they are very likely to start
burning if you have time take off your
clothes made from synthetic materials
when affected by fire they will melt and
stick to your skin causing bad burns try
to replace such clothing with something
made from cotton or wool if your clothes
do catch fire stop whatever you're doing
fall to the ground and start rolling
around until the fire is put out rolling
will smother the fire and won't let it
spread uncontrollably make sure you
cover your face with your hands this
will provide you with the maximum
protection 7 what to do if you can't get
out if you are trapped and all you can
do is wait for help
try to stay calm the first thing you
need to do is ward off the smoke this
will keep you safe until firefighters
arrive hide in a room that is still
untouched by fire and close the door
firmly use cloths rags towels clothes or
tape to cover all the cracks and vents
around the door try your best to keep
the smoke out
eight call for help if you're trapped on
an upper floor try to get to a window
that faces the street or other buildings
take something white a sheet or a towel
and hang it from the windowsill when the
first rescuers get to your house this
will indicate your location to them as
well as the fact that you need help
after you complete this task close the
window immediately otherwise the fire
will be drawn toward the fresh oxygen 9
if you are not too far from the ground
try to escape through a window if
there's no other way but to use a
second-floor window as your escape route
search for a ledge if there's a ledge
under the window climb onto it in such a
way that you're facing the building
you'll have to hang from a second-story
but at least you'll be closer to the
ground your chances of remaining unhurt
during the fall will be much higher
however if you're trapped somewhere
higher than the second floor you better
stay where you are
close the door take measures to prevent
smoke from entering the room cover your
nose and mouth and wait for help take
your safety seriously more than 2500
people die in house fires every year and
about 12,000 are injured this means that
an average of 7 people lose their lives
because of home fires everyday make sure
your house is equipped with functioning
smoke alarms check them regularly
preferably once a month and replace
their batteries twice a year get one
fire extinguisher for each floor of your
house these precautions might save your
life one day do you know any other
important things that can save your life
if you get caught in a house fire tell
us about them in the comments below
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