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Life Guide U.S. essentials
English

In a fire, crawl low, feel the door before opening it, don't open it if it is hot, take the stairs and not the elevator, and once you are out don't go back

  • High value
  • Evidence B
  • Buys life
  • Costs a little
  • Takes minutes
  • No willpower

In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.

In plain words

Get down on the floor and crawl toward the exit under the smoke. Before opening a door, feel the handle and the door itself, and if it is hot or smoke is coming through the gap, don't open that door and take the second way. Open a door slowly, and if thick smoke comes, shut it again at once. Take the stairs and not the elevator, since a power cut traps you inside. Once you are out, don't go back for belongings. If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop and roll, and cover your face with your hands.

Cost

Put 1 or 2 stand-alone smoke alarms in the home, a few dozen CNY. Look ahead of time at the two exits in the corridor.

What you get

The U.S. FEMA escape text: "get down on the floor and crawl toward the exit under the smoke." Before opening a door, feel the handle and the door itself, "if it is hot, or there is smoke at the gap, don't open this door and use the second way." Open a door slowly, and close it again at once if there is thick smoke. If your clothes catch fire, "stop, drop and roll," covering your face with your hands. If you can't get out, close the door, stuff cloth or tape in the gaps and vents, and call to give your location. The fire self-rescue notice from the Ministry of Emergency Management (应急管理部) agrees: don't use the elevator to escape, run downstairs if the fire is small, cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel or mask, and leave crouching or bent over

Notes

Don't take the elevator, since a power cut traps you inside. Don't go back for belongings. Don't run upward unless you have confirmed the roof door is open. Don't jump from a window. Fold the wet towel 3 times into 8 layers, and don't make it too wet, since a towel that is too wet makes it hard to breathe. When the smoke and toxic gas are too thick, even a towel can't block them.

Evidence grade
B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
Sources
  1. US FEMA Ready.gov. Home Fires. https://www.ready.gov/home-fires
  2. 应急管理部 (2019). 公共场所火灾自救方法：「逃生时不要乘坐电梯，当火势不大时，要尽量往楼层下面跑」「可用湿毛巾或口罩蒙鼻，匍匐或弯腰撤离」. https://www.mem.gov.cn/kp/shaq/201904/t20190401_366015.shtml
  3. 贵州省消防救援总队 (2020). 消防常识丨逃生三要点：「湿毛巾对折3次（叠成8层），除烟率比较高，但烟和毒气浓度过高时，过滤效果就无法保证了。另外，毛巾过湿会导致呼吸困难」. https://gz.119.gov.cn/xfkp/xfcs/202010/t20201026_71437855.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 24. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer