Golden rules to limit smoke and toxic gas suffocation

The scene of a karaoke fire in An Phu ward, Thuan An city, Binh Duong province occurred on the evening of September 6.

According to experts, to prolong the time while waiting for rescue, victims must always remember to move close to the floor, use wet cloth to cover their face...

Absolutely do not panic

As a lucky survivor and rescuer, Ms. Quynh (a karaoke bar employee) lying in the emergency room of An Phu General Hospital (Binh Duong) still has not recovered from her panic, recounting: "When I was in the staff room with other employees, I smelled a burning smell, then smoke billowed up. As soon as I opened the door, smoke billowed in, and many screams rang out. I ran into the toilet to hide, but the smoke also filled in, so I ran to the top floor."

According to Ms. Quynh, when she opened the door to run to the top floor, the smoke and fire in the stairs were already raging fiercely, and she had difficulty running to the top floor. "As soon as I ran up, I intended to jump off the building to escape, but people on the ground told me not to jump. Luckily, a few minutes later, the firefighters came with a ladder truck to rescue me and take me to the hospital," Ms. Quynh recalled.

The head of the emergency department of a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said that when a fire occurs, survival skills are very important. People in a fire must absolutely not scream or panic, and must quickly find an exit.

Fires usually have two basic areas: the space near the ceiling containing smoke and toxic gases, and the space below the floor containing less toxic gases. Therefore, when toxic gases rise, absolutely do not rush to run or move in a standing position, you will quickly inhale toxic gases and fall into a coma. To move safely and avoid inhaling toxic smoke, people move by crawling close to the floor. While waiting, keep the above position to minimize toxic gases entering the lungs.

Next, use a wet towel or soak clothes and pants to cover your face and respiratory tract. There are many toxic gases produced in the smoke of a fire such as CO, CO2, ammonia, organic acids... of which CO and CO2 are the main causes of death. After escaping the scene, you need to be quickly transferred to the nearest medical facility for timely emergency care.

The cause of death is usually smoke.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital - usually in fires the cause of casualties is smoke and toxic gases, not fire or heat, in which CO and CO2 are toxic gases that can easily cause death.

Dr. Nguyen analyzed that CO and CO2 are two types of toxic gases, both odorless, colorless, tasteless but quickly absorbed in the body. This gas prevents the transport of oxygen into the blood, preventing the respiratory metabolism of cells, especially cells with strong respiratory metabolism such as the brain, heart... In severe cases, the patient may fall into a coma, have convulsions, low blood pressure, and damage other organs.

Inhaling large amounts of toxic gas can cause unconsciousness and death very quickly, especially in pregnant women, young children, and the elderly with chronic heart and lung disease. 40% of people who suffocate have sequelae such as memory loss, decreased concentration, facial paralysis, abnormal movement, difficulty walking, stiff and trembling limbs, hemiplegia...

Mr. Nguyen Truong Son - Deputy Chief of Police of Cau Giay District (Hanoi), in charge of fire prevention and fighting - recommended that the most important thing is to equip businesses and households with smoke masks and fire extinguishers. "When a fire breaks out, victims need to stay calm, find an exit, move to a well-ventilated area and call the rescue team for assistance," said Mr. Son.

"When a fire occurs, inhaling toxic gases is the leading cause of death. To prevent casualties from fire and explosion, service businesses such as karaoke or crowded events, in addition to fire extinguishers, need to have smoke masks.

Providing smoke masks is extremely necessary to help victims escape from a fire or maintain the time to wait for rescue to arrive. In addition, before customers enter the karaoke bar, the staff will instruct them on how to use the mask, show them the exits... just like when we are instructed when boarding a plane" - Mr. Nguyen Truong Son.

According to Tuoi Tre