WHEN THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S FIRE

BY HENRYLITO D. TACIO

of the alarming increase of fire incidents happening across the country during this time of the year. Imagine hearing an announcement of fire or discovering yourself a fire, what are the things you must do? Tufts University instructed: Move quickly to the nearest accessible exit (which you have already known in the beginning). If you have discovered a fire, notify and assist others to evacuate along the way. If the building fire alarm is not yet sounding, manually activate the alarm pull station located near the exit.

After doing that, get out of the building as quickly as possible. Don’t worry about some of the valuables you have left; life is more important than those materials.

More often than not, there are fire extinguishers all over the building. When should these be used and is it alright to use it in case of fire? The information offers these tips: Only if you are trained and confident in fire extinguisher use. Only if the fire is small in size (no larger than a small trash can). If you do fight the fire, use only one extinguisher and then evacuate the building.

By the way, you are not obligated to fight fires of any size. If you have any doubt, do not attempt to fight the fire.

Just remember this: Total and immediate evacuation is the safest.

Now, what if you are caught in the middle of a smoke, what should you do? Drop to hands and knees and crawl towards the nearest exit. Stay low, smoke will rise to ceiling level first. Hold your breath as much as possible. Breathe through your nose and use a filter (such as a shirt, towel or handkerchief).

During a fire incident, the number one enemy is not the fire but the smoke you get inhaled. “People are scared of the flames and think it is the main killer,” Daniel D. Solana, a Davao firefighter said. “It’s actually the lack of oxygen that will kill a person faster.”

The Merck Manual of Medical Information explains: “Inhalation of chemicals released in the smoke, such as hydrogen chloride, phosgene, sulfur dioxide, and ammonia, can swell and damage the lungs and trachea. Eventually, the small airways leading to the lung narrow, further obstructing airflow.”

Smoke can also contain chemicals that poison the body’s cells, such as carbon monoxide and cyanide. “High levels of carbon monoxide in the blood may cause confusion or disorientation or may even be fatal,” the Merck manual said.

If ever you are trapped in a room due to fire or smoke, call 911 or the emergency line in your area to report your location and conditions. Close as many doors as possible between you and the fire. Wet and place cloth material around or under the door to help prevent smoke from entering. If the room has an outside window, be prepared to signal to someone outside.

Fire, science tells us, is the visible effect of the process of combustion – a special type of chemical reaction. It occurs between oxygen in the air and some sort of fuel. The products from the chemical reaction are completely different from the starting material.

The fuel must be heated to its ignition temperature for combustion to occur. However, three things must be present in order for a fire to exist: heat, fuel and oxygen. This is known as the fire triangle, according to Sheffar S. Lajarani, who was the officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, when we interviewed her.

“Combustion is when fuel reacts with oxygen to release heat energy,” explained the website of Science Learning Hub. “Combustion can be slow or fast depending on the amount of oxygen available. Combustion that results in a flame is very fast and is called burning. Combustion can only occur between gases.”

Fuels come in three forms: solids, liquids and gases, Lajarani pointed out. Examples of solid are wood, dried leaves, clothing mateFWHEN, P10