In a fire, besides firefighters, there are others who can save your life……

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A fire is both a sudden accident and a catastrophic incident that endangers people’s lives and property. Sudden incidents such as fires often cause those present to experience abnormal psychological states, thereby affecting evacuation and escape. In this sense, whether one has basic fire safety knowledge determines whether they live or die. Today, the editor will list the wrong behaviors in escaping from a fire: 01 *The habitual tendency to escape along the same path – this is the most common pattern of behavior when trying to escape from a fire. Passengers, customers, and tourists in public places are not familiar with the environment nor aware of the evacuation routes; when a fire breaks out, the vast majority of them rush back along the path they came from in an attempt to escape. If that passage is blocked by fireworks, then look for another entrance. Unbeknownst to them, the best time to escape had already passed. Therefore, when we enter public places, it is essential to understand and become familiar with the surrounding environment as well as the safety exits and evacuation routes, so as to be able to rescue ourselves and escape quickly in the event of a fire. Failing to check in advance where the nearest exit is, and instead blindly returning along the usual route, this approach of taking a longer path can cause you to miss the best opportunity to escape and end up in trouble. 02 The tendency to move toward light: In emergency and dangerous situations, human instincts, physiology, and psychology drive people to flee in the direction of light and brightness. At this point in a fire, it is highly likely that the power supply has been cut off or that there has been a short circuit or tripping of the circuit breakers; it is in such areas of light that the flames can wreak havoc unchecked. Do not blindly flee towards the light; instead, follow the guidance of the illuminated signs indicating the safety exits to reach the nearest one. 03 Herd mentality: When a person’s life is suddenly put in danger, it’s easy to lose the ability to think rationally due to panic. Upon hearing or seeing someone running ahead, the first reaction is to blindly follow closely behind them. Common patterns of blind following include jumping out of windows or buildings, hiding in toilets, bathrooms, or corners. A way to overcome blind following is to learn and master fire safety and self-rescue knowledge in daily life, so as to avoid acting without a clear plan when the time comes and ending up following the crowd. For example, in the fire at the Yiwu Small Commodities Wholesale Market in Huidong, Huizhou, in 2015, more than a dozen people gathered in the toilets on the fourth floor, which was on fire, to take shelter there. As the fire spread, these areas were affected by the flames and smoke; if they had evacuated down the stairs in time, this fire would not have turned into a tragic incident that resulted in 17 deaths. 04 From high to low. As the saying goes: people strive to reach higher heights, and flames rise upward. When a fire breaks out in a high-rise building, especially in tall buildings, people tend to assume *independently that the fire starts from the bottom and spreads upward; the higher up one is, the more dangerous it is, while the lower one is, the safer. Only by escaping to the ground floor as quickly as possible and getting outside can there be any hope of survival. What they don’t realize is that the lower floors might be in flames at this point; would rushing downstairs in a blind attempt to escape not be equivalent to throwing oneself into the fire? Especially in old residential buildings that have only one evacuation staircase and lack fire and smoke prevention facilities, do not attempt to evacuate via the stairs. Instead, you can cover your nose and mouth with a wet towel inside the room, pour water on the door to cool it down, or take shelter on a balcony where there is fresh air. Inform the emergency services of your exact location and wait for the firefighters to arrive. 05 Risky jump from a building: When people first detect a fire, they immediately react. At this point, the reactions are mostly rational analysis and judgment. However, when the chosen escape route fails, the fire grows stronger and the smoke becomes thicker, it is easy for people to lose their sanity. At this time, people must under no circumstances take reckless risks in order to avoid falling into hell before even stepping into the sea of fire. Jumping from the fourth floor or higher to escape results in death or injury. If jumping from a building is the only option to escape, one must do it in a proper way. When jumping, try to land in the center of the shock-absorbing mat, or aim for areas with pools, soft canopies, grass, etc., to reduce the impact force. If jumping from a building without any equipment, one should grasp the window sill or balcony and let the body hang down naturally to minimize the vertical distance. Before hitting the ground, one should wrap both arms around the head and curl the body into a ball to reduce injury. The behavioral characteristics of people in fires are closely related to their psychological characteristics, with the latter playing a decisive role. Those with good psychological resilience and knowledge of basic fire escape procedures are generally able to escape successfully and evacuate safely. So, let’s all learn the “Seven Ways to Escape a Fire”! 1. Rapid evacuation: When entering public places, pay attention to the evacuation signs such as “Safety Exit,” “Emergency Exit,” and “Safe Passage” located on the walls, ceilings, doors, and at turns. In the event of a fire, evacuate quickly in the direction indicated by these signs. 2. The low-body movement method: Since smoke tends to accumulate in the upper areas during a fire, one should try to keep the body as close to the ground as possible by crawling or bending forward while escaping. 3. The towel-over-the-nose method: In a fire, the smoke is hot and highly toxic; inhaling it can easily cause burns to the respiratory system or poisoning of the body. During evacuation, use wet towels, masks, etc. to cover the mouth and nose in order to reduce temperature and filter out particles. 4. After determining the escape route using the thick-material protection method, one can cover oneself with a wet quilt or blanket, as well as a cotton coat, in order to rush through the fire area and reach a safe zone as quickly as possible. One should not use materials such as plastic or synthetic fibers to protect the body, as this will have the opposite effect. 5. The rope-based self-rescue method: If there is a rope at home (or you can tear sheets, pillowcases, curtains, etc. into strips and twist them into a rope), tie one end of it to a door, window frame, or heavy object, and climb down using the other end. During the escape, the feet should be used to clamp the rope in a twisting motion, while the hands climb down alternately; it is also important to protect the hands as much as possible using gloves or towels. 6. The equipment-based escape method: Families with the necessary resources can use specialized rescue equipment such as home-made descent devices that they keep on hand to escape. 7. Signal for help: While waiting for rescue, one should attract the attention of rescuers by shouting for help, waving cloth strips, tapping on metal objects, or throwing soft items ； At night, signals can be sent using light-emitting items such as flashlights or emergency lights.