Crawl: If smoke fills up your apartment, get down and crawl. Take short breaths through the nose. The cleaner and cooler air is near the floor.
Feel the doors before opening: Touch the door knob; if it is hot, do not open the door. If it is cool, open it slightly to check if there is smoke or heat present in the corridor. In either situation, stay in the room.
Use the fire exit/stairwell: If you can leave your apartment, head to the nearest fire escape. Always use the stairs, never the elevator. The elevator shafts may fill with smoke or the power may fail, leaving you trapped. The staircase doors will keep out the fire and smoke and protect you till you reach outside.
If you get trapped, keep your door closed: Seal the cracks and vents if smoke comes into your apartment. If there’s no smoke outside the building, open the apartment windows to let out the heat and smoke; this allows fresh air to enter.
Signal for help: Hang an object at the window to attract the civil defence’s attention. If you have a phone, call the police or civil defence for help. Be sure to give your exact location.
The head of the family should be aware of the potential fires that could occur in the house, and fire extinguishers that should be used to combat these kinds of fires.
The Civil Defence’s emergency number (997) and the Police department’s emergency number (999) should be displayed in a clear place.
Family members should be assigned duties, such as alerting the children or senior members and helping them evacuate during an emergency. All family members should be trained on how to evacuate the premises during an emergency.
Source: Boston University’s environmental health and safety department’s official website and Directorate General Of Civil Defence - Dubai’s official website
