Prepping for Fire

[Yorkshire Andy]

First off walk the exit routes several times..

On exiting your apartment / flat count the number of doors along the route to the escape door / stair case if the landing is smoke bound crawl and count the doors .. if you know the staircase fire door is 6 doors down you can count the doors even In zero visibility / loss of lighting

Walk the stairs count the steps and make a mental note of where the door out / exit corridor is.... And how the final exit door opens.. push bar / smash glass/ break tube or however it's secured



And any other route incase that one is blocked....

Fortunately I'm guessing it's a fairly new build so should have been built with some fire doors / resistance to the floors / walls... So if the fire service is working they should be able to rescue you ... Guessing it's not that high that a ladder will reach assuming your window opens onto a street / unenclosed area a life hammer will help break the inner pane of glass

These are great

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394151001907 ... media=COPY

Push against the bottom corner of the glass and it's got a spring loaded ceramic point that fires out the end shattering toughened glass easily

Then launch a chair through the rest and use the chair legs to take out the loose glass (assuming they are not escape windows which fully open???

At which point you can await rescue in fresh air .. for the cat a cat carrier and a rope / strap and lower to the floor outside

Then for you. Escape ladder ..
Ive one of these only issue with most is the maximum sill thickness but the average build should be ok 6 to 10" of this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FIRST-Two-Stor ... d_source=1

Hook onto sill with ladder outside then pull the handle on the red bit that is wrapped round the rungs and it drops (secured with velcro)

I've a push light above the escape window so I can see what I'm doing


For small fires without any training these

https://www.screwfix.com/p/firechief-fa ... _container


Reputable firm make industrial fire extinguishers beware of crap on eBay / Amazon

And instinctive method of use... Everyone can use a basic aerosol can ....... Safe on all domestic fires including chip pans / cooking oil and live and electric items eg a toaster at 1m distance

[diamond lil]

Thanks Andy - that's a great idea re walking the route out and counting the doors, will do that. Built 2002, secure building with entryphone and a screen inside the flat that enables you to talk to a control room somewhere. Somebody burnt her toast and nearly died when she had a man's voice booming out of the screen asking if she had a fire and was she ok So it will probly be fine but I need to know for myself how to deal with emergencies.
Have got the bag packed now and in a corner of the bedroom, bedroom is next to front door..

[Yorkshire Andy]

Thanks Andy - that's a great idea re walking the route out and counting the doors, will do that. Built 2002, secure building with entryphone and a screen inside the flat that enables you to talk to a control room somewhere. Somebody burnt her toast and nearly died when she had a man's voice booming out of the screen asking if she had a fire and was she ok So it will probly be fine but I need to know for myself how to deal with emergencies.
Have got the bag packed now and in a corner of the bedroom, bedroom is next to front door..

Something warm and waterproof chances are a block of OAP flats going up the local church hall / community centre will throw open the doors in a big evacuation / incident

Is it warden manned or just a warden call in a call centre who then ring 999?

Are there any extinguishers in the communal areas?

[diamond lil]

Never noticed any extinguishers Andy but that's my fault for not looking. No warden just a manager in the office for 2-3 hours in the mornings. The screen on the walls is run by a company called Appello, so it wil be linked to their control room I suppose.

[Frnc]

A fire blanket, Lil. Water to soak your clothes?

Practising the route out - would it be through your front door? What if the fire was in your corridor? If you had to hang out of a window in your flat, which window would you choose, and what could you throw down to make landing easier?

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/t ... -of-flats/ (pdf at the bottom).
Obviously, London Fire Brigade has come in for a lot of stick since Grenfell, but the advice looks good. One thing for me, though - if there was a fire, I'd never accept the advice from officials to stay in my flat.

How mobile are the two of you? In the late 1960s, my grandad bought a fire ladder, a chain link thing you could secure in a bedroom and toss the links out of the window.

I have a chain link fire ladder in my room, but in the prep room the ladder is a fire resistant fibre thing with plastic steps. It's more compact and much easier to unroll and deploy. The whole window in that rooom opens, so it it easier to get out. And the drop to the ground is a bit lower. Of course ideally you would exit through a door.

I recommend some protective footwear kept next to the bed.

Also I have a head torch on a bed post.

[ForgeCorvus]

......So it will probly be fine but I need to know for myself how to deal with emergencies.

Of course you do, you're on here