High rise fire safety
What to do if you’re caught in a high-rise building fire
(CNN)The flames lit up the night sky. Thick, dark smoke poured out of windows and in the end, a charred and brittle structure remained, almost unrecognizable.
The burning of a West London high-rise apartment building left at least 17 people dead earlier this week.
“If the building in London had sprinklers, you and I wouldn’t be talking right now,” says Glenn Corbett, associate professor of fire science at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
In his view, your safety in a high-rise depends, almost entirely, on the high-rise itself. The higher up you are, the longer it’s going to take to get out.
So, in the event of a high-rise apartment fire, what are the best steps to protect yourself?
1. Don’t panic
The first sign of a fire is typically a blaring alarm system. But once you see or smell smoke, you should immediately call 911 and tell the operator where you are in the building. Due to the massive size of a high-rise building, this will help first responders locate you more quickly and will help firefighters determine how much of the building is threatened.
“Think about how you would get out of the building long before the alarm,” says Atlanta architect Dan Meachum. “You have to have at least two ways out.”
2. Determine where the fire is relative to your apartment
High-rise fires: By the numbers
75
Height in feet at which a building is considered a high rise
14,500
Average number of high-rise fires in the US every year
40
Average number of people who dieeach year in such fires
520
Average number of injuries each year in high-rise fires
154,000,000
Average cost in dollars of property damage caused by high-rise fires each year
62
Percent of total fires that high-rise blazes accounted for
Source: ANational Fire Protection Association study between 2009 and 2013
When faced with danger, your first instinct is to flee as quickly as possible. Don’t.
“Normally, most procedures in … residential high-rise fires have people stay in their apartments, unless the fire is in their apartment, adjacent to their apartment or their apartment is being impacted by the fire,” Corbett says.
Why? Because in most scenarios, especially if residents are on higher floors, it’s too dangerous and difficult for them to leave.
“It’s happened time and time again: people left their apartments and tried to make it down the stairs. It’s basically like walking into a chimney,” Corbett says.
“There’s a natural inclination to get out. But you could be put in more danger trying to do that.”
However, if the stairs are a clear and safe option, use them.
Be quick, but in control, experts say.