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How to survive a hotel fire

Autor brendon

I’m currently doing some scripting work at a safety-centric company. Leaning on a desk is discouraged because the desk could break. “Desks are not designed to support the weight of a person”. At first this seems totaly crazy but after a while of having safe business practices beaten into your head some of these precautions start to make sense.

We rescently recieved a powerpoint with advice on how to avoid death and other painfull things if were ever caught in a hotel fire. (But any large unfamiliar building will do). The key points that I found very interesting were: 

  • The obvious ‘Get down low & go go go, feel the door for heat before opening, stuff wet towel at base of door’ 
  • When you get to your floor/ room take time to find the EXIT. Is it Left or Right? Trace the number of steps to the door (you can’t see through smoke)
  • Take a torch with you when you travel (I do this generaly but leave it where you can reach quickly)
  • When your in your room, leave the key near the door. You need to be able to get it in a hurry and possibly get back into your room again if the exit door is blocked
  • Leave at the first sign of smoke or alarm
  • Don’t be afraid to call the fire department

If you are stuck in your room: 

  • Some bathrooms have exhaust fans, use it
  • If you do leave when there is smoke, take a wet towel with you and if necessary wrap around your head.
  • Opening the window can let smoke out. If the fire is below you, it will only let smoke in so don’t break the glass
  • Try to phone reception or let someone know where you are or hang a sheet outside your window
  • Fill the bath with water (not for you), can be used to bail on the door/ walls even if the plumbing stops working
  • A wet bed/ dresser can be used against the door or walls to keep the fire at bay for a while…
  • If you jump out of a 3rd/ 4th story window you probably won’t survive

I hope never to use this but I know from now on whenever I enter an unknown building I will be looking for the exit and what is the quickest way to get there.

Just in case you want to read the full thing, you can access the file here -> Escape Plan for Hotel Fire

Reader's Comments

  1. Roneel | March 14th, 2007 at 6:15 am

    Interesting read. I remember reading a similar articles on how to diagnose and the steps to take if you are having a minor heart attack. Strange how you really don’t pay any attention to simple things such as those mentioned above until you are in the situation that requires it.

    And some are so obvious, they’re not obvious. I mean, take this point for instance:
    “Some bathrooms have exhaust fans, use it”
    I might not even have thought of it :-)

    I certainly hope I never have to experience surviving a hotel fire…or a fire in any building for that matter, big or small.



© 2007 Brendon Davis.
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