You can easily contain fire outbreaks when they happen in your house or office. That's because you are in charge of putting all the needed fire protection equipment in place. However, you can't say the same for hotels.
While hotels in the United States might follow fire safety standards, hotels outside the US may not keep to these standards. Therefore you must take personal responsibility whenever you are away in hotels to ensure that you and your family members are safe from fire accidents.
So, what do you do if a fire occurs at the hotel you're staying at? What if you hear the fire alarm go off? What if a fire starts in your hotel room?
Keep reading as we will be answering these questions and many more in the course of this article.
What To Do When You Check In
It's never too early to prepare against fire accidents. Therefore you need to start as soon as you get to the hotel—even before any fire.
First, ensure that you stay in the better, more established hotels. Cheaper hotels tend to focus less on quality and details, like keeping fire protection equipment up to code. When you are at the hotel, do the following:
- Get a room closest to the ground floor. Ideally, a room on the ground floor or the second floor is the best option. With a room close to the ground, you will be closer to fire responders when a fire happens. Also, a room closer to the ground means you can quickly jump to safety if need be.
- Ask for the location of the nearest fire exits in the hotel and check to see that the doors open.
- Count the number of doors from your room door to the exit or stairs. Then, with that information, create a mental map in your head on how you will leave the room in the event of a fire. This part is crucial because you might have to find your way to the exit without seeing very much during a fire incident.
- Check if the hotel has an alarm and smoke detector system and ask how it works.
- Check the windows to see if they work. Then, look outside and see how you can leave through the window if the emergency calls for it.
- Keep the key to the room by your bed, along with a flashlight, in case you need to leave the room.
What To Do When a Fire Occurs
If you suddenly wake up to the smell of smoke while in a hotel, first, try not to panic. Panicking will only reduce your ability to think and might make you make unnecessary mistakes. So, instead of panicking, try to do the following:
Think of an Action Plan
This might sound counterintuitive, but then it will help you. Sit down for a moment and ask yourself questions like: Is there a safe route out of the building? In the alternative, is there a place you can stay safe before fire responders come your way?
Access the Situation
When you have decided on what to do, put some clothes on and secure the key to the room. It would help if you were sure of your safety before you venture out of the room. To do this, you need to crawl to the door. You are crawling because smoke rises, and you'll be able to breathe better near the floor of the room in the event of a fire outbreak.
Exit with Care
Touch the door slightly to see if it's cool to touch. If the handle is cool enough to touch, open the door slightly and check if it's safe enough outside. If you discover you can't leave the room, find your way back in and protect yourself from heat and smoke till help comes. If you can leave the room, proceed with caution. Also, avoid the elevator and use only the stairs.
Safety on the Stairs
There may be lots of people on the stairs depending on the size of the hotel. So, ensure you hold on to the rails, so you don't fall due to the pushing. As you move towards the bottom of the stairs, try to observe the environment. For example, if you notice more smoke at the bottom of the stairs, it's a sign that there's probably fire or denser smoke at the lower levels. If that's the case, proceed back to the roof of the building. Open the door at the roof to allow air in. Remain there until help arrives.
Fire Safety Saves Lives
Familiarity with fire safety tips can mean the difference between life and death. Knowing what to do in the event of a fire at your hotel will improve you and your chances of getting out safely. If you would like to read more fire safety tips, you can check out our extensive blog articles on fire safety and fire training. If you are interested in fire extinguisher training for your office or church, or group, you can contact your local Koorsen branch to get more info.
