Trapped
You could find yourself trapped in a room of a burning structure for a number of reasons: both your escape routes could be blocked by flames, you could be in a multi-story building with no secondary escape. Now is the time to know what to do when you’re trapped by a fire.
We’re assuming fire fighters are either en route or on the scene. The situation would be very dire if the burning structure were far from emergency services. In these types of high risk situation — rural areas, family members with mobility issues, older homes — smoke alarms are not an option, they are a necessity.
We’re also assuming you’ve felt the door and determined there are smoke and flames blocking your exit.
- First, block the entry of smoke by putting damp towels, or any other absorbent cloth, under the door.
- If you have a land line in the room, or you have your cell phone, call emergency services to notify them of your location in the building. This information can be relayed to the fire fighters on the scene.
- Open a window to signal for help and to maintain fresh air. Do not break the window. If smoke starts to seep into the room, you will have to close the window to keep it from sucking more smoke in. In the chaos of a burning building, the best way to signal is to wave a sheet or large cloth.
- Wait for help.
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