Fires are deadly and one of the highest causes of deaths in various countries. They occur without warning and take up everything around them in a warp. A cause of massive destruction, getting caught in a fire can indeed be alarming.

As fire safety is truly an important measure to consider, here are some of the key things to do while getting caught amidst a fire.

What to do during a house fire?

House fires are one dangerous ordeal. They could lead to intensive financial losses along with deaths and personalized items. In cases of a house fire, here are some tips that can be followed to ensure the safety and protection:

1. Alert everyone

Fires spread fast and wide, therefore as soon someone gets to know about a fire starting up in the house, it is best to raise alarm. This involves alerting all the residents present to allow safety and protection along with quick action in extinguishing it.

2. Call the fire department

Once you have reached to safety, it is crucial to call the fire department. In case you have forgotten your phone inside the burning house, it is better not to rush searching for it amongst burning flames. Instead it is better to call from a neighbour’s phone or ask a passerby to make a call for you.

3. Don’t go around collecting valuables 

As mentioned above fires usually spread very quickly, therefore, in such a situation, safety should be a concern. While hearing alarms of a fire, you should not look around collecting valuables, instead getting to safety should be a priority.

4. Arm up with the fire extinguisher. 

If you hear someone raising alarms for fire, or even if you hear the fire alarm going off, the first thing to do is arm up with a fire extinguisher. This one smart move can help immediately extinguish the fire without having to follow through other safety measures

What to do during a fire in a commercial building?

Fires in commercial buildings are hard to identify and therefore, dealing with such fires is the more tricky. However, there are some tips and tricks that can be followed to allow safety and security during a fire such as:

1. Raise alarm

The first thing to do in case of a fire is to ensure safety. As soon as you become aware of a fire, it is essential to run towards the nearest fire alarm and press on it to alert the whole  building. This would ensure everyone’s safety.

2. Run but dont panic! 

In cases of a fire, evacuating a building is absolutely essential. However while doing so, it is best to remain calm and not cause panic. Causing panic could lead to chaos and can even result in people getting hurt. Also while evacuating a burning building, it is crucial to take the staircase instead of the elevator.

3. Call the fire department

Once you have managed to reach a somewhat safe point, an essential thing to do is get in touch with the fire department. Don’t wait up assuming someone must have done it already! Get your phone or the nearest payphone and hit up the  fire department for immediate rescue.

In case of getting trapped in a room

Fires spread rapidly and in case you get trapped in a room where there is a fire raging outside then the best thing to do is retreat. Close any door available to create a barrier or obstacle in the way.

If you have a working phone or your cellphone with you, then it is best to call and inform the fire department and the police. Inform them of your situation and try to stay connected in line till someone comes for rescue.

If the rescue team is already present on the spot, open up windows and flag a bright coloured object, or cloth to grab attention so that finding you becomes easy. At night, if you have a flashlight, try signalling using it.

Also, try to find and stuff damp clothes under doors to stop any smoke from coming in and creating suffocation of any sorts. It is best to loosely tie a damp cloth on your face to prevent smoke from getting in your lungs and clogging it.