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Being equipped with survival skills in case of fire or explosion such as avoiding smoke inhalation will help you escape quickly and prolong the time waiting for rescue workers.
A fire that just occurred in Trung Kinh (Hanoi) took the lives of 14 people and injured 6 others.
Of the 6 people rescued from the fire, 4 were relatives of the landlord's family and were rescued from the fire by people nearby. The remaining 2 were a young couple who survived thanks to their skills.
Sharing his life-saving skills, Mr. NTK (35 years old) - one of the 6 victims saved - shared that the most important thing is to stay calm.
Mr. K. recounted that early that morning, when both husband and wife were sleeping, they were awakened by 2-3 loud explosions. After that, smoke and fire spread everywhere, the heat source was very strong, burning right up to the window.
Having learned escape skills from many previous fires, Mr. K. thought that if he ran outside, he would die.
"I reassured myself and my wife not to panic, the most important thing was to stay calm. After that, the couple searched for many layers of cloth, soaked them in water, rolled them into many layers to cover the door cracks and cover their noses and mouths. Then they sat and barricaded themselves in the house," Mr. K. recounted.
After about an hour, rescuers arrived at the scene. They were taken out and given emergency treatment at the Transport Hospital. Both are now being transferred to the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital for further treatment.
Previously, a family of four escaped a mini apartment fire in Hanoi thanks to staying calm and waiting for rescuers to arrive.
At that time, the family of four also tried to escape, but when they ran down to the first floor, the fire was high and the smoke was so thick that they could not escape.
The family returned to the 8th floor and closed the door. As the house became increasingly filled with smoke, the family continued to hide in the closet. Fortunately, rescue workers arrived shortly after and took them to the hospital.
In recent fires, many people also saw the role of wet towels - the item that helped save the lives of Mr. K and his wife.
Experts say smoke and toxic gases released from fires are the biggest killers, more than deaths from fire or burns.
Smoke obstructs your vision, and toxic gas contains a lot of CO, NH3, HCN... and inhaling even a small amount can seriously damage your nervous system and cause death.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in case of fire or explosion, you can use a wet towel or cloth to cover your nose and mouth.
In addition, remember not to breathe through your mouth but try to breathe through your nose to avoid burning your respiratory tract. By doing so, you can prevent some smoke and toxic gases from entering your body, and at the same time reduce the risk of burning your respiratory tract.
In addition, using a wet cloth to cover your nose and mouth can also help you limit your exposure to soot, soot, and unburned organic components.
Heat is most concentrated at the ceiling, so crouch low, even crawl along the walls, to find the stairs or emergency exit.
Doctor Nguyen Nhu Vinh - Head of the Department of Respiratory Function Testing at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City) - said that gas and smoke in explosions have different gas components depending on the burning material, the most abundant of which is carbon monoxide (CO).
This is a toxic gas that is usually odorless and colorless, so it is often difficult for patients to realize that they have inhaled it and are being poisoned.
When CO gas enters the body, it can combine with emotobin to create carbonemotobin, which will bind with oxygen, leading to suffocation and lack of oxygen. Therefore, in the case of inhaling high concentrations of CO, it is easy to become comatose, which often leads to death.
Doctor Vinh recommends that when there is a fire, do not panic but immediately call the fire department at 114. Then, go out to the balcony or terrace to find someone to help.
When a fire occurs, smoke is lighter than air and will rise, so lower yourself to move to make it easier to breathe and avoid smoke inhalation. Take a piece of cloth or clothing, moisten it and hold it close to your nose and mouth.
Water will filter out toxic gases, preventing inhalation of toxic gases. Be especially careful not to stay in the bathroom or closed rooms as there is a high risk of suffocation, which can easily lead to death.
Be careful not to waste time collecting belongings, even valuables, because when a fire breaks out, it will spread very quickly.
On the escape route, you need to sound the alarm so that people around can escape together. In addition, when opening the door, if the door or door handle feels hot to the touch, do not open it in a fire situation.
If you are in a room and cannot get out, you can use wet cloth or clothes to block the gaps.
Doctor Nguyen Tien Dung, Department of Intensive Care and Anti-Poisoning, Dong Da General Hospital (Hanoi), said that first aid for people with asphyxiation is similar to that for people with cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest. The victim must be quickly taken away from the fire to a safe, spacious and airy place. Call an ambulance for immediate medical assistance.
If the victim is breathing weakly or has stopped breathing, perform artificial respiration, chest compressions and loosen clothing while waiting for emergency help. In case the patient is in a coma or has a disturbance of consciousness but still has a pulse and is still breathing, we put the patient in a safe side-lying position to avoid choking on phlegm, foreign objects, etc. into the airway causing respiratory failure.
According to Dr. Vu Viet Ha - Department of Emergency and Intensive Care, Hanoi Medical University Hospital, in case of fire, if people do not have gas masks, they should at least cover their face and nose with a wet towel to avoid smoke. At least this will help them wait until the rescue team arrives.
However, in a fire, if the room is too closed, even with a wet towel, you can still get carbon monoxide poisoning. Therefore, as soon as they are rescued, the victims are given oxygen, their vital signs and injuries, especially those caused by falls or collisions, are checked, and then transferred to the hospital for further evaluation.
According to Dr. Le Hoang Quan, Department of Anesthesia and Resuscitation, People's Hospital 115, damage caused by inhaling smoke from a fire is damage caused by inhaling toxic gases, vapors and dust particles contained in the smoke.
When fires burn, they produce smoke containing a variety of chemicals, incompletely burned materials, and very small particles suspended in the air that vary greatly in size.
Smoke inhalation injury can cause lung effects such as bronchospasm, vasoconstriction, alveolar effusion, and mucus formation in the bronchi. Pneumonia is one of the most common complications of smoke inhalation injury, with a rate of about 30%, especially in patients over 60 years old.
Dr. Liu Jing Jiang said that smoke inhalation injury is a serious injury with a high rate of complications and mortality, but it is still difficult to diagnose and classify accurately. Early diagnosis and treatment are important. Treatment is mainly supportive and prevents damage to the lungs and airways.
When experiencing health problems due to smoke inhalation, you need to quickly go to a medical facility for timely examination.
In addition, smoke inhalation symptoms can be reduced through measures such as getting plenty of rest, sleeping in a reclined position or elevating the head with a pillow to make breathing easier, avoiding smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke, avoiding lung irritants such as air that is too cold, hot, humid or dry, etc.
