YESTERDAY I was needed to attend in-house fire safety training for office workers by fire consultant at the expense of company. Despite it is meant for office fire, the trainer also tried to address the residential fire risk that is very much concern to our daily lives. We will never know how bad it is until it happened to us. And people are used to think there is nothing to kill fire with them but it's for fire fighter's responsibility. In reality, we can't consider like that if we really value our life and safety. We can minimize the risk by taking our own defense preparation for unseen enemy like fire. We never know when it will come to us but it can be happened at any time. So regardless of where we are, we are under the danger of fire if we don't care about it.What am I shameful person not to know how to use fire extinguisher? Also I can't answer trainer's several questions in fire related activities. I realised that I am not a well-prepared man even for my own safety as well as my loved ones around me. I have no idea in what to do by the time fire come alive. Also don't know how to rescue my colleagues or flatmate if they are being burned by fire infront of me. Running is not answer for all circumstances. We generally understand and likely to use water to kill fire. In fact, such misunderstanding might cause fire bigger and even explosive and claim our lives.
Being an immigrant worker myself, we are likely to work and stay in tall buildings. What should we do if the building we are working or staying is under fire before civil defense force arrived? We can't afford to wait they come as fire is spreading so fast and we would have been dead when they (fire fighters) arrived. So we should know basic knowledge in killing fire before it become big. Also we should know where is potential area that fire can start. We mostly agree it'ld be kitchen area to be starting point of fire. It's not a right answer at all time as per result. The living room and bed rooms are another potential area to start fire.
What to do and what to aware? When we are trapped under fire, we should close the door and seal the edge of door frame with masking tape so that the smoke cannot enter our room. We are surprised to learn that smoke kills people than fire according to research. Because fire make smoke and smoke spread faster than fire. Once people are getting smoke, they start to suffer and feel heat and if it is severe, can claim to death. We noted that smoke is going 1 foot above the floor and so it is called floating smoke. So when you are in fire building, do not run here and there. Just roll and avoid smoke hitting you. If water is available, wet your body and take wet towel and close to your mouth and noise. After tapping your room, open the windows and shout "FIRE". At this point, remember do not shout "HELP". If you shout help in the middle of night, nobody will entertain you. But everybody take instant action once they hear FIRE as they are in the same trouble.
Usually we would answer to go down through emergency exit when fire. What will you do if the fire is burning down-stair? You have no choice to go down and again you might want to go up. Unfortunately, most of roof access in Singapore are locked. Meaning you are not allowed to run up to roof slab. Let say your building's roof access is unlocked, there would be much people gathering there and remember there is no heliport in any residential building of the Singapore. So what can we do? Nothing to do but die? That's why trainer stressed us to take extra care in small thing that can ignite fire.
We are advised not to charge our hand phone overnight. We should switch off our TV and other electronic appliance rather than just pressing power button from our remote control. Try to know where is emergency exit in the building you stay or work. If the emergency exit has doors, check if the door are locked or not. If locked inform to management or check other doors if they are the same or not. Trainer suggested not to lock our main door and window iron grilles at night time so that we can't trap in fire once the fire come. Most of the fire used to come mid night and dawn when we are deep in sleep. So we can't have time to find key to open these fixed grilles. Make sure fire extinguisher is placed at least in the living room and bed room unless you can put at all rooms.
Do not use water to kill kitchen fire and remember to use wet tower to kill this. Killing fire with oil fire will make you fallen in the bigger trouble. Electrical fire can only be killed by foam or chemical that is inside the fire extinguisher. The fire safety department of Singapore recognize to install both fire extinguisher and smoke detector at home. In the developed countries, it's a must to install at every home by law. The trainer joked us he don't understand why Singapore follow this good practice at their HDB home and he'll probably tell PM Lee in the upcoming election. The fire department is selling the package in which fire extinguisher and smoke detector for S$150. It seems expensive for some people and trainer offered his students option to buy only fire extinguisher only for S$80. These preventative equipments come with 5 years warranty and customers can happily change without warranty without paying a cent more. I thought it's a wise-investment for our irreplaceable live and ordered one fire extinguisher. The selling price S$80 include door to door delivery service as well as GST.I feel more safety about fire risk by purchasing this fire extinguisher and putting in my bed room. If it's not happening to us, I can help my neighbours and flatmate if they are exposed to fire. I was shocked to watch some videos shown by trainer and aware of fire threat to us. I understand what to do next to prevent my life and my loved ones by attending this an hour class. If anybody want to buy fire extinguisher with the same rate I bought, I make myself available to help you get contact person being volunteer. It's my pure attitude to make my friend's life well prevented and safety to enjoy their life to its fullest. I believe in some quote saying that "It's better prevention than say sorry". Being QS myself, I calculate how much it cost me for every day. Since fire extinguisher come with 5 year warranty, I get daily cost at (S$80/5x365=0.043835616 $ = 4.38 cents). What a value investment is it? I have made it, then why wait for you?
May everybody free from suffering due to FIRE regardless of his own faul
t or others.
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