Cover your face with a rag or wet towel, seal holes to prevent smoke from entering the room, and bend your back when moving. These are ways to prevent inhaling toxic gases in a fire.
During a fire, there are many types of toxic gases produced from smoke, of which CO and CO2 are the main causes of death. In addition, toxic gas smoke obstructs vision, making victims disoriented and making rescue work more difficult.
Doctor Nguyen Huy Hoang, Vietnam – Russia High Pressure Oxygen Center, Ministry of National Defense, advises victims to wet towels and rags and cover their face and nose to limit inhalation of toxic gases when a fire occurs. This method helps maintain life and limit suffocation while waiting for rescuers. In addition, people should use rags or towels to cover holes to prevent smoke from entering the room. They can use anti-smoke masks if equipped in advance.
You can use a mattress to hang it on the window or balcony, water the mattress wet, creating a roof for the smoke to move upward, while you stay under the mattress, helping to limit inhaling toxic smoke.
If you decide to overcome the fire, you need to cover yourself with a blanket or wet cloth to avoid the fire from catching on your clothes and causing burns. Crouch and follow the wall to move out. You should determine the safe area and the fire area, absolutely do not escape via the stairs or hide in the toilet. Absolutely do not hide in closed spaces, because the risk of suffocation is high and causes faster death.
People can use woven fabric to climb down to the ground, but this method is very dangerous. Do not jump from too high a floor to the ground without permission and instructions from rescuers.
Adults should try to stay calm, avoid panic, and quickly call the fire police force for timely rescue.
The scene of a fire in Trung Kinh that killed 14 people on the morning of May 24. Image: Ngoc Thanh
“If the fire is extinguished quickly or the toxic gas has not invaded too much, you can hide in a closet to prolong your life before rescue arrives,” the doctor said. In case the fire lasts a long time and the victim is in the closet or toilet, there is a risk of suffocation and death. Even covering your mouth with a wet towel only limits smoke inhalation but cannot avoid toxic gas poisoning.
After being rescued from the fire, victims need to be given oxygen or artificial respiration immediately to ensure oxygen supply to the body. The doctor checked vital signs, examined injuries on the body, then transferred him to the hospital for further evaluation.