Thirteen Ways to Escape

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(1) Escape drills to stay calm in emergencies: Everyone should be familiar with the structure of the building they are in as well as the escape routes. By organizing emergency escape drills, people can become acquainted with the fire-fighting facilities available in the building and the methods for self-rescue and escaping. In this way, when a fire breaks out, one won’t feel trapped with no way out. (II) Get familiar with the environment, memorize the exits to public places, pay attention to safety signs, and remember the evacuation directions. (III) Exit passages: Stairs, passageways, and safety exits must remain unobstructed; they are the most important routes for escape in case of a fire. It is essential to keep them clear of clutter or obstacles, and no barriers or locks should be placed there, so that people can exit safely and quickly in an emergency. (IV) Extinguish small fires to benefit others: If the fire is not large and has not yet posed a serious threat to people, and if there are sufficient firefighting equipment available nearby, such as fire extinguishers and fire hydrants, one should make every effort to control and extinguish the small fire. Under no circumstances should you panic and run around in a chaotic manner, ignoring the small fire and thus causing a bigger disaster. (5) Identify the direction and evacuate quickly. When escaping from a fire, it is essential to stay calm and not panic. One must identify the direction and evacuate promptly; under no circumstances should one lose composure. Once the exit is located, leave there immediately and decisively. (6) Avoid areas prone to fire; when trying to escape, do not run towards bright areas, as in a fire the normal electrical supply is disrupted by the flames, and bright areas are likely to be places where the fire is most intense, making them extremely dangerous. Also, during the escape, do not be greedy for possessions, as trying to retrieve them might delay your escape. If you have already managed to get out of the fire, you should definitely not go back in to get those items; at such times, it is important to prioritize saving your life over keeping your property. (7) Simple protection: Cover your nose and crawl. Fire smoke is lighter than air and usually spreads along the ceiling; it is characterized by high temperature and high toxicity. Inhaling it can easily cause burns to the respiratory system or poisoning, so during evacuation, use a wet towel to cover your mouth and nose to reduce temperature and filter the smoke. When escaping, remember to keep your center of gravity low and crawl if necessary to avoid inhaling smoke. (8) Make good use of the passages; do not enter elevators. In high-rise buildings, the power supply system of elevators can fail at any time during a fire, or the elevators may deform due to heat, trapping people inside. At the same time, since the elevator shafts act like vertical chimneys connecting all floors, the highly toxic smoke poses a direct threat to the lives of those trapped, so under no circumstances should one use ordinary elevators to escape. Generally, one can escape through enclosed staircases, evacuation staircases, or fire elevators. (IX) Descend slowly to escape; use ropes for self-rescue. If there are descent devices, escape ladders, or ropes, they can be used to escape from high floors. If such tools are not available, sheets, blanket covers, or curtains can be torn into strips and twisted into knots. If the length is insufficient, several sheets can be tied together to use as a rope for climbing down along the exterior wall. Be sure to tie the sheets tightly to prevent them from breaking or having their knots come loose. (10) Shelter areas: Stay inside and wait for rescue. Under no circumstances should you open the doors in case of a fire; if there is a fire outside and the doors are already hot, do not open them at all to prevent the fire from spreading inside. Use wet bedding, clothes, etc. to block the gaps in doors and windows, pour water to lower the temperature, and wait inside for the firefighters to arrive. (11) Move slowly and gently, seeking help: When trapped by fireworks and unable to escape immediately, stay in areas such as balconies or windows where it is easy for others to spot you and where you can avoid coming too close to the fireworks. At the same time, effective distress signals can be sent by shaking bright-colored clothing, throwing lightweight objects that are eye-catching, waving flashlights, or knocking on objects, in order to draw the attention of rescuers. When unable to save oneself, one should try to roll to the side of a wall or a door so that firefighters can locate and rescue them. (12) Utilize the balcony for evacuation: In the event of a fire, if the adjacent buildings have not caught fire and are relatively close to the building where the fire has broken out, it is possible to use wooden planks or other materials to build a bridge between the two buildings, and then use this bridge to move to the other building in order to escape. (13) As a last resort, jump from a building to save your life – but never do so in a fire! As a last resort, residents living on lower floors can escape by jumping. But first, a lower spot should be chosen based on the surrounding terrain as the landing area; then mattresses, sofas, thick quilts, and other items should be thrown down as buffers, and the body’s center of gravity should be lowered as much as possible before jumping.