Fire Safety Away From Home

Think about the last time you were at a restaurant on a busy night. You are talking with your family or friends when you notice smoke beginning to fill the dining area, then someone yells 'FIRE'. Did you happen to notice the location of the emergency exits on your way in? Perhaps like most people, the only exit you know of is the front door you entered. What if the fire is between you and that exit? Hundreds have died from similar incidents in the United States and abroad.

Try this one. You are at work and the fire alarm sounds. Do you actually leave the building, or do you assume it is just another false alarm? Do you know where fire alarm pull stations are in case you find a fire? Do you even have a fire alarm system at work? Have you ever had a fire drill? Will you know if anyone might still be in the building when the fire department arrives? Looks like we may have some work to do here too.

Here's another. You are on vacation or away on business and are staying in a hotel. Do you know where two different stairwells are from your room? Do you know the location of the two closest emergency exits to the meeting room where your conference is being held? How about a fire extinguisher? Hopefully it will not be one of those things you find 'in the last place you look'. Of course, we prefer you just get out of the building and leave the fire for us. A building can be replaced, you can't be.

At home you (hopefully) have a smoke detector on each level, know at least two ways out, and maybe even have a fire extinguisher or two. All the attention home fire safety receives is justified - over 90% of fire deaths occur in homes (which includes both dwellings and apartments). But there is still that other 10% to consider, as well as countless injuries that could possibly be avoided. Fire saftey away from home cannot be ignored.

Why do I keep stressing two exits? Firefighters are trained to look for two ways out when entering a building - just in case the first one is no longer available. You may not be a firefighter, but like a firefighter, your life may depend on it.

It is becoming more and more common for people to ignore fire alarms in public places. Would you ignore the smoke detector in your home if it went off? You would probably be so concerned that you check all over the place, sniffing for something burning and looking for smoke. Somehow it's different away from home.

'I don't see any smoke' or 'no one else is leaving so it must be OK' are attitudes that can have severe consequences. When I was in college, the local fraternity liked to pull the dorm's fire alarm system in the middle of the night. By the 6th time in 4 days, no one left the building. In January 2000, the fire alarm sounded in a college dorm for the 19th time in 5 months. That 19th time was for real. Seton Hall: 3 dead, 62 injured.

There is at least one case locally where a fire alarm sounded, but no one saw smoke or fire so they cancelled the alarm. That building burned to the ground, though the adjoining buildings were saved once firefighters arrived, after being alerted by a 911 call. Fortunately, no one was injured.

There are building codes specifying how many emergency exits are needed, the maximum number of people that are allowed in a room, how many smoke detectors are needed for a room based on its size, etc: all designed for your safety, and sometimes designed specifically to avoid repeating past tragedies. However, you must take some responsibility for your own safety, where ever you are. You also need to realize it can be a very different story outside the U.S. where these types of codes may be non-existant.

Fire safety is something you need to take with you so you always come home safe.

For more information on fire safety go to the Fire Safety Information section at the National Fire Protective Association (NFPA).