A blaring alarm wakes you
in the middle of the night.
But it's not your alarm clock.
It's an emergency.
A fire is raging in your building.
Help has arrived,
but how will they get to you?
The ladders on the fire trucks can only
reach a maximum height of 33 m (107 ft).
And you're much higher up.
Will firefighters be able to
get to you in time?
Should you go down?
Should you go up?
Should you make a rope
out of your bedsheets?
How will you be able to see,
let alone breathe,
in all that thick smoke?
And, are there more
practical ways of getting out?
Between 2009 and 2013,
there was an average of 14,500 fires
every year in high-rise buildings in the U.S.
As cities around the world
continue to grow denser and taller,
figuring out the best ways to
save people trapped on the upper floors
is a mounting challenge
for metro fire departments.
Firefighters usually set up a base
about two floors below the fire,
and from there,
they must climb several stories
to reach anyone who's trapped.
The trouble is that firefighters
have limited oxygen supplies,
which affects how far
and how fast they can go.
They also can’t bring much
extra equipment with them,
in case they need to
carry people back down.
That's not to say that people on higher floors
have to fend for themselves.
Firefighters will do everything they can
to save everyone inside.
But if you're trapped in a burning high-rise
with hundreds of residents,
you may be waiting a while
until you're rescued.
And what you decide to do
during that time
can be a matter of life or death.
If you're in the market for a new home,
or if you simply like playing with buttons,
a high-rise apartment
sounds like the right fit for you.
But do your research
and make sure you choose a building
with an up-to-date fire safety system,
like working sprinklers and alarms.
Take the time to
learn your building’s fire protocol,
and where the emergency exits are.
When you're moving into your new apartment,
test your unit's fire alarm,
and check it regularly,
so that you know when it's time
to change the batteries.
An unexpected fire alarm
will be jarring and scary,
but panicking won't help.
Stay calm, and try to figure out
whether the fire is above you,
below you, or on your floor.
Then feel the door to your unit.
If it is cool, you should be able to
leave your apartment
and head for the nearest exit.
If you do leave, be sure to
close all the doors behind you,
so that you don't give the fire
more oxygen to keep burning.
Smoke inhalation is the
leading cause of death in fires,
and it will be practically unavoidable
in a burning high-rise.
If you have to pass through smoke,
make sure you do it
by crawling on all fours.
But don't crawl on your belly,
since there are heavier toxic gases
that can form a thin layer on the floor.
Crawl your way through the smoke,
and cover your mouth and nose
with your shirt
to help filter out the smoke as you breathe.
If it's too dangerous to leave your apartment,
you're still going to need to
protect yourself against smoke coming in.
Get to an area where you can
close the door and seal the cracks.
You can do this by wetting towels
and tucking them under doors
and into vents
to keep the smoke out.
Once you've done that,
you should call the fire department,
and report your exact location in the building.
Help will be on the way,
so try to be patient, and stay calm.
To further help the firefighters find you,
you can signal your position
by hanging a light-colored cloth
out of your window.
Don't break any windows,
and don't open your window too much,
because it might let smoke in.
But if you have it open a little,
rescue personnel should still
be able to see your signal
and get to you safely.
If you live in a unit
that's higher than the second floor,
don't jump.
It's incredibly dangerous,
and you'll likely have
better chances of survival
waiting inside for help to arrive.
While sitting and waiting
might seem counter-intuitive
when you know a fire is racing towards you,
you also have to remember that
panicked decisions often lead
to costly mistakes.
Luckily for all you current
and future high-rise dwellers,
today's skyscrapers are being built
with fire safety in mind.
Modern high-rise buildings
are made of fire-resistant materials,
and have sprinkler systems, alarms,
and voice communication systems
to tell you what to do if the alarm goes off.
There's also new technology being developed
to help get people on higher floors
out faster.
The SkySaver, for example,
basically enables you to rappel down
the side of a building on your own.
There's also the Escape Rescue System,
which is like an exterior elevator
that can be folded up
and stored permanently
on a building's roof.
In the event of a fire,
it picks up first responders at ground level,
and then it can take them to the upper floors,
where they can help anyone who's trapped.
But what if the elevator malfunctions?
Have you ever gotten stuck in an elevator?
Have you ever been trapped
in a falling elevator?
Well, we'll get you out in one piece
next time on How To Survive.