Traveling Fire-Safe Part II - Will Powell

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Last week we talked about preparing for your trip and arriving at your hotel. Today we’ll get into the details about what to do in case of fire. If fire begins in your room, stay calm and: • Evacuate your room immediately. Quickly grab your key and flashlight. If there is smoke in your room, quickly drop to the ground and crawl toward the door. Do not stand up in smoke. You may be overcome by rising toxic gases. • As you exit, close the door behind you to prevent the spread of flames into the hallway. • Sound the fire alarm and alert neighbors on your floor of the emergency. • Walk to safety via the nearest fire exit. Once you are safe from danger, locate the nearest phone and inform the hotel operator or 911 of the emergency. If fire occurs elsewhere in the hotel, be prepared for fire alarms, shouting in the hallway, activating sprinklers and sirens. Grab your room key. Feel the door with the back of your hand. If the door feels unusually warm or hot, do not open it. The fire may be right outside. • Stay calm and keep the door closed. You can survive a hotel fire by awaiting rescue in your room. • If the phone works, call the hotel operator or 911. Explain that you are trapped in your room and in need of rescue. • Shut off fans and air conditioners. They can draw smoke into the room. • Fill the bathtub with water and wet your towels and sheets. Put wet towels or sheets at the bottom of the door to seal it from smoke, Stuff any vents with wet towels or sheets or otherwise cover them to prevent smoke from entering. • You may also use water to cool the walls; use a wastebasket or ice bucket to help bail water. • To make your location more visible to firefighters, hang a sheet out the window or use your flashlight. Do not use the sheet to climb down from your room. • Despite your best efforts, smoke may still enter the room. Use a blanket or sheet to make a tent over your head, put your covered head out the window and breathe the clean air. If your window does not open you may have to break it with a chair or drawer. Break the window only as a last resort. If your door is not hot and the hallway is free from smoke: • Take your room key, close the door behind you and walk to the nearest fire exit as mapped out in the evacuation plan. Do not take time to gather your belongings. • Do not take an elevator. If you attempt to take the elevator in a fire, you may become trapped. The elevator may also take you to the floor where the fire is. • Using the stairs, walk to the bottom floor of the hotel. Hold onto the handrail as you go so as not to be knocked down by someone behind you. • If you encounter smoke or fire on lower levels, return to your room. Call the hotel operator or 911 and explain that you are trapped in your room. • If you cannot make it back to your room walk to a floor with clearer air, and attempt to find another emergency exit. As a last resort, take the stairs to the roof. As in all things related to fire safety, keeping your wits about you and using common sense in an emergency will go a long way towards a good outcome. Will Powell is a life member of the BBVFC, which he joined in 1980. He has previously served as Fire Chief and was co-chair of the committee that oversaw construction of the company’s new headquarters. Will co-owns and operates the Bethany Arms Motel and lives in Ocean View with his wife, Candi. He can be reached at [email protected].