6 Minute Read

Earthquake and Fire Hazard – If you live in a high-rise apartment, these are the two things that might make you suffer horrifyingly in an ‘all of a sudden’ manner unlike other natural or man-made disasters. So, without further wasting time on their mode of devastation and whatnot, let’s jump right in to figure out how to steer clear of survive these devastation in the first place:

Earthquakes

Preparation

§     Plan where in your apartment you will take cover first for your safety during an earthquake. This is necessary because you might not get the chance of thinking this during a quake.

§      Have an emergency kit which consists of first-aid-kit, battery operated torch, battery operated radio, knife and so on. Keep this kit near your safety spot.

§    Install chandeliers and other hanging objects only over areas where people pass through (hallways and foyers) and not where people stay within the apartment most of the time (living room, kitchen or over the beds).

§     Secure bookshelves and cabinets to the wall to avoid them and their heavy contents from falling over during an earthquake. Taking some time to invest on this might save your life.

§     Check the items around your bed; there might be books overhead or wall frames that you can move to other places and lampshades to secure to keep them from falling over your head while you sleep.

§      Make sure that the furniture you are buying have enough space under them for you to hide under them during an earthquake.

§      I know it is stupid, but keep a small stock of canned food supply, nothing heavy, on the part of your apartment where you might choose to shelter yourself during a quake. Canned goods, like ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables can last indefinitely as long as they aren’t leaking or bulging. This is an advice worthy of taking especially if you live in an earthquake-ridden region or a country.

Execution

§    Duck under a sturdy table or other furniture with strong frame. Do not immediately run outside or to other rooms during shaking looking for safer grounds: The area near the exterior walls of a building is the most dangerous place to be. Windows, facades and architectural details are often the first parts of the building to collapse.

§     Avoid staying near any power supply outlet. In case if and only if you are near the Main Switch/Circuit Breaker panel or you can reach there quickly, shut it down at once. You don’t want any shock or surge from any broken line debris after the damage your apartment might endure. Perform the same for your gas connection as well; you don’t want a fire hazard over this. Nobody deserves a double whammy.

§       If there’s nothing to use as cover, drop down and cover your head with your hands.

§       Stay away from the windows that might shatter. But stay near the windows with iron grill to get air circulation if you are stuck.

§       Steer clear from door frame and pillar. Don’t stay close to them.

§   Don’t do a ‘Triangle of Life’: It is a wrong move to perform under false assumptions. Staying beside a furniture, what this method says will not save you but having yourself cover under it as ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ says might.

§      Don’t go up or down using stairs/staircase and don’t even bother with an elevator. Even if the former doesn’t kill you, the latter will.

§      Don’t go to the roof thinking building might collapse vertically; you don’t know that, nobody does.

§      Do not move around without proper footwear. The chances of being injured due to debris or broken glasses is quite high.

Afterquakesmath

§       Do not walk around barefooted to avoid stepping on broken glass and other sharp fragments.

§       If you are stuck inside a debris, try to be stressed as less as possible. You want to conserve your body energy to be alert when service workers are trying to get you out.

§       Expect the aftershocks; they might be just as violent as the earthquake itself. So, be alert!

§      Get everyone out of the apartment and onto areas that are nowhere near electric and lamp posts as well as trees and keep them there until after the apartment’s structure and any gas, water and electrical lines have been inspected and cleared from any damages.

Fire

Preparation

¨      Know the fire safety plan within your building. A copy of the plan should be posted behind every front door of every unit or given to every new owner or resident of the apartment.

¨      Make sure that the fire exits are unobstructed, self-closing and are working well. They should not be used as storage for garbage bins, bicycles and other items.

¨       Ensure the smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in your unit are working properly.

¨      Check the alarms for working batteries and the extinguishers for chemical or mechanical defects.

¨      Keep a fire safety kit, which includes smoke masks, goggles and flashlights.

¨     As the apartment ages, you should check its electrical wirings for frays and cracks.

Execution

¨      Deciding to stay within your apartment should only be considered if you are living in a fireproof building and there is fire on the unit above your apartment. However, if the fire cannot be contained quickly, leave the building immediately.

¨      Hiding within bathrooms, especially those without windows or openings for escape, is not always the best option, especially if the fire is fast approaching. Some people have already been trapped inside thinking that they have adequate water in them to extinguish the fire. The truth actually is that the fire usually heats up the water pipes, which can scald a person even before he could use them to put out the fire.

¨      Staying near windows can be a good option while you are inside the apartment. This allows air for breathing if smoke still penetrates through the walls and helps rescuers see the people who are still inside the building.

¨      If the fire does not come from below your apartment, open a few inches of the windows to allow air to come in for breathing.

¨      It is also advisable to have in hand a cloth or towel to wave outside the window for easy visibility to rescuers once help for evacuation is needed.

¨      Assuming you don’t have your goggles and smoke masks with you especially if you have to evacuate the apartment, you have to be creative; cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth or towel to avoid inhaling smoke.

¨      If there is a need to open a door upon evacuation, check for smoke coming from under the door and feel the temperature of the knob with the back of your hand before opening. Do not open the door if there is smoke or if the knob is too warm or hot.

¨      If the door can be opened, stand behind it when you turn the knob to protect yourself from unexpected bursts of heat or smoke from the other room or hall. Once this happens, immediately close the door and find another exit.

¨     Always close all doors behind you and do not use the elevators during evacuation.

¨     If smoke reaches your apartment or area of escape, crawl your way towards the safest exit. Smoke escapes upwards and do not settle down low. This makes the gap between the level of the smoke and the floor the only breathable space on your way out.

¨     Use a stairway that shows no signs of smoke. If you can see smoke coming from the stairway, shut the door and find another one.

Aftermath

¨       Know and follow the advisories of fire safety experts after the fire has been put out.

¨       Assess the damage done to your apartment by the smoke, fire or the water that put out the fire.

¨       If the unit is drenching after extinguishing the fire, start by draining all the water out and sorting out items that were damaged by either water or smoke.

¨       After sorting out possessions, clean those that can still be salvaged and throw away all those that can’t be used anymore.

¨       If smoke has seeped into your apartment, aerate the unit in sections starting with the common areas first. Place a fan on high at your front door facing inwards and open one window to direct smoke particles outside through that window. Do this positive pressure ventilation for 15 minutes for each area.

¨       After the common areas, position the fan on the doorway of one room and introduce fresh air into the room in the same way you did with the common areas. Close this room after flushing out the smoke and proceed with the other rooms.

Improvements in safety building regulations and built-in safety features within an apartment don’t necessarily guarantee full-proof protection. Hence, every homeowner, let alone a tenant, cannot fully rely on what an apartment has to keep him/her safe. It is one’s knowledge and instant respond (and sheer luck sometimes) that really matters to the survival against these ‘out of the blue’ disasters.