My Account
Recently an open day was held at Matakana Fire Station. About 100 people visited, looking through the station, fire trucks and displays. Many were family groups. Naturally the trucks held a special appeal to the children and rightly so. One display, which looked rather boring, was perhaps the most important for people to visit – a small plain room on a trailer. It had no bright colours, tools or gadgets to impress young minds. Inside it emitted a small quantity of harmless white smoke into the enclosed space. The purpose of this is to show people how smoke sits in a room and the safe area for occupants in such a situation. Smoke rises and is trapped by the ceiling above. The more smoke, the lower the smoke settles. Below the smoke level is the clear air. The exhibit clearly shows the divide between the smoke above and the clear air below.
What should you do if confronted by a smoke filled room? The answer is the Fire Service motto ‘Get Down, Get Low, Get Out’ followed by ‘Get out, Stay out’. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many children had heard and remembered the mottos. It was reinforcing, practising the actions in an actual smoke filled room. The children (and adults) simply drop to their knees and keep their face as close to the floor as possible, then crawl out the door to the fresh air outside. All occupants then assemble at a prearranged meeting point, which we recommend is the letterbox. Every house has a letterbox and it is easy to remember. Once assembled, it is also the place to greet the fire engine’s arrival and pass the clear message that everyone is accounted for. This message is vital as it will dictate the actions of the fire crew on their arrival.
So, what are the risks associated with smoke in a room? The answer is simple – the smoke is likely to kill before the flames do. Smoke from the fire will be dense black smoke filled with toxins. A couple of breaths of this are likely to render a person unconscious and unable to escape the fire. Past events in fires have shown a number of people have perished just inside the exit doorway, just a metre or so from safety. It is likely these people have been in an upright position trying to open the door when overcome by smoke.
Moving forward what can families do?
• Have smoke alarms.
• Have a family plan.
• Know the safe exits. Have secondary exit options, as doorways may be blocked. A window may be a good alternate. Keep exit points clear of clutter. Know the meeting point and most of all remember to stay out.
Practise the exercise regularly as it is this reinforcement that may keep your family safe. Hopefully you will never have to use it!
