When you live or work in a high-rise building, it’s very important to know about fire safety. During a fire, it can be harder for people in high-rise buildings to get out of the building safely. If you know about fire safety, you can be ready for a fire and make the best decisions if one does happen.
Fire safety steps to prepare for a fire:
- If you’re moving into a high-rise building, make sure it’s fully sprinklered for the best protection.
- Find out if your building has fire safety features like fire alarms, voice communication, and plans for getting out in case of fire.
- Make sure you know where all the exit stairs are on your floor, in case the ones closest to you aren’t safe.
- Make sure that all exit doors and stairwell doors are clearly marked and not blocked.
- Find out where the alarm pull stations are in your building.
- Tell management right away if you see a fire safety device that is broken or damaged.
How to stay safe during a fire:
- If you see a fire, get out of the building quickly and pull the fire alarm on your way out to let the other people in the building know about it.
- When the fire alarm goes off, use the back of your hand to feel the door. Do not open the door if it is hot.
If you can’t get out of a room safely because of a fire, smoke, or a disability, put wet towels or clothes in the cracks around the door and vents.
Call the fire department and let them know exactly where you are.
Open the window a little and wave a bright cloth to call for help. Close the window if this makes the smoke worse. - If the door feels cool to the touch, stay low to the ground and slightly open the door to check for smoke or fire. If the way is clear, use the fastest way to get out of the building.
- Don’t take the elevator to leave the building.
- If you are trying to escape through smoke, get low and go under it.
- If there is a voice command system or instructions from the fire department, listen to them.
- Go outside to the place where everyone is supposed to meet and call the fire department.