Following the November fire that took the life of a UM-St. Louis student, concerns have been raised about fire safety on and off campus. What do you need to know about fire prevention? And more importantly, do you know what to do should you need to get out?
Getting out takes practice, according to Tom Harwin, fire chief for the Normandy Fire Protection District.
"No matter what your plan, when smoke fills the hallway, you become disoriented," said Harwin. "Practice in perfect conditions."
He said that practicing an escape plan is important so you become used to what to do. He compared it to driving in snowy conditions. At the start of the snow season, there are a lot of accidents because people are out of practice, but by the end of the snow season, people have gotten into the habit again.
While in perfect conditions without a fire, know your route, and count the doors from where you are to the hallway or exit.
"Count the doors, so then you can feel and not see," said Harwin. "Then it's not chaos, but organized when exiting."
Harwin had additional advice for dealing with a fire escape.
"Don't use elevators. Use designated stairwells," he said. He also said that if you happen to hear an alarm, do not roll over and go back to sleep or wait and see if it is a real situation or just a drill.
"If you hear the alarm, get out of the building," said Harwin.
Smoke is the greatest risk in a fire situation. Heat and flames are not normally the cause of death. Fires give off several gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide.
"Smoke is hazardous, for inhalation, and because it blinds you," said Harwin. The smoke can disorient you, then the carbon monoxide can impact your body's systems, making an escape more difficult to achieve.
"This is your home, you can navigate it in the dark," he said. But in smoke-filled conditions, people can get lost in their own homes.
The best escape from a fire, according to Harwin, is to prevent one. Common sense measures such as keeping flammable items away from heat and flame are well known. Harwin said the best prevention is to protect yourself.
"Smoke detectors are the best protection we have. And they do work as long as they are maintained," he said. In that maintenance, the batteries should be checked and the detector regularly tested.
Fires can occur at any time of day, but according to Harwin, nights are usually worse than days. People are asleep, so there are less people around when the fire is still at the incipient stage and able to be seen from first signals. There is also the trouble of rousing individuals to get out.
Early detection products, such as smoke alarms, can help act as a witness to a developing fire when people are not awake or around to do so.
Aside from smoke detectors, sprinkler systems are some of the best protection against fire available. According to Harwin, 95-97% of fires that are sprinkled are contained to that area. He said that most fires can be contained with no more than three sprinkler heads.
If a fire is between two, two will activate, at most three. The sprinklers keep the developing fire in check until the fire department can arrive.
Harwin said that the majority of fires happen in the kitchen, which is primarily why there are not kitchenettes in most dorms.
People will set something on to cook late at night, sit on the couch while the food is cooking, then doze off.
"Usually the food is just smoking, but people have perished in kitchen fires," he said.
Of all kitchen fires, Harwin said, "Grease fires are terrible." If using an open skillet instead of a contained heating coil, such as one found in a fry daddy, the oil can splash over the side and ignite. The entire pan of oil then combusts into flame and can easily catch the cabinetry nearby.
According to Harwin, the best prevention for any fire is some good common sense, a dose of caution and some well maintained smoke detectors. Just remember the three P's: prevent, protect and practice.
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