How to Survive a Burning High-Rise

a blaring alarm wakes you in the middle of the night but it's not your alarm clock it's an emergency a fire is raging in your building help has arrived but how will they get to you the ladders on the fire trucks can only reach a maximum height of 33 meters and you're much higher up will firefighters be able to get to you in time should you go down should you go up should you make a rope out of your bed sheets how will you be able to see let alone breathe in all that thick smoke and are there more practical ways of getting out here's what you can do to survive a burning high-rise between 2009 and 2013 there were an average of 14 500 fires every year in high-rise buildings in the united states as cities around the world continue to grow denser and taller figuring out the best ways to save people trapped on the upper floors is a mounting challenge for metro fire departments firefighters usually set up a base about two floors below the fire and from there they must climb several stories to reach anyone who's trapped the trouble is that firefighters have limited oxygen supplies which affects how far and how fast they can go they also can't bring much extra equipment with them in case they need to carry people back down that's not to say that people on higher floors have to fend for themselves firefighters will do everything they can to save everyone inside but if you're trapped in a burning high-rise with hundreds of residents you may be waiting a while until you're rescued and what you decide to do during that time can be a matter of life or death step one do your research if you're in the market for a new home or if you simply like playing with buttons a high-rise apartment sounds like the right fit for you but do your research and make sure you choose a building with an up-to-date fire safety system like working sprinklers and alarms take the time to learn your building's fire protocol and where the emergency exits are when you're moving into your new apartment test your unit's fire alarm and check it regularly so that you know when it's time to change the batteries step 2 stay calm an unexpected fire alarm will be jarring and scary but panicking won't help stay calm and try to figure out whether the fire is above you below you or on your floor then feel the door to your unit if it's cool you should be able to leave your apartment and head for the nearest exit if you do leave be sure to close all the doors behind you so that you don't give the fire more oxygen to keep burning step three crawl and cover smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death in fires and it will be practically unavoidable in a burning high rise if you have to pass through smoke make sure you do it by crawling on all fours but don't crawl on your belly since there are heavier toxic gases that can form a thin layer on the floor crawl your way through the smoke and cover your mouth and nose with your shirt to help filter out the smoke as you breathe step four close the door and seal the cracks if it's too dangerous to leave your apartment you're still going to need to protect yourself against smoke coming in get to an area where you can close the door and seal the cracks you can do this by wetting towels and tucking them under doors and into vents to keep the smoke out once you've done that you should call the fire department and report your exact location in the building help will be on the way so try to be patient and stay calm step 5 signal your position to further help the firefighters find you you can signal your position by hanging a light colored cloth out of your window don't break any windows and don't open your window too much because it might let smoke in but if you have it open a little rescue personnel should still be able to see your signal and get to you safely step six don't jump if you live in a unit that's higher than the second floor don't jump it's incredibly dangerous and you'll likely have better chances of survival waiting inside for help to arrive while sitting and waiting might seem counterintuitive when you know a fire is racing towards you you also have to remember that panicked decisions often lead to costly mistakes luckily for all you current and future high-rise dwellers today's skyscrapers are being built with fire safety in mind modern high-rise buildings are made of fire resistant materials and have sprinkler systems alarms and voice communication systems to tell you what to do if the alarm goes off there's also new technology being developed to help get people on higher floors out faster the sky saver for example basically enables you to repel down the side of a building on your own there's also the escape rescue system which is like an exterior elevator that can be folded up and stored permanently on a building's roof in the event of a fire it picks up first responders at ground level and then it can take them to the upper floors where they can help anyone who's trapped but what if the elevator malfunctions have you ever gotten stuck in an elevator have you ever been trapped in a falling elevator well we'll get you out in one piece next time on how to survive

Channel: How to Survive

Views: 266,829

Keywords: survive, how to survive, survival, survivalguide, what if, science, man made disasters, dangerous situations, life hacks, safety, survival guide, survival tips, hot to survive a burning high-rise, fire safety, high rise, highrise fire, fatal fire, expert tips, tips how to surviv, guide how to survive a burning high-rise, how to survive a building fire, How to survive high rise building fire, fire escape plan, survival videos

Id: P8Naa4pzDdo

Length: 6min 48sec (408 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 26 2020