Should there be a fire in our building, it is vital to remember that even if it "looks really tiny" it can still be quite dangerous. Due to the confined spaces (eg an office), the gasses and smoke generated by a small fire can be fatal, and quickly so! Three things will cause you harm: heat, smoke and gas.
The fire services have conducted studies of the effects of small fires in closed rooms. There are many videos available of what actually happens, but a quick summary is: things get really hot, really quickly. If you light a cloth covered chair with a single match, the temperature in the room rises to a potentially fatal level in under 2 minutes. Entering such a room and taking in a breath will burn your lungs (fatally, there is nothing that can be done to save you). After 2 minutes, even a masonite-and-cardboard door would not feel "hot" or "warm" before opening. If you insist on opening doors, keep low and keep you mouth and nose shut. Note also that opening the door after the 2 minute mark will result in the instantaneous ignition of the unburnt super-heated gasses in the room - there will be a very nasty fireball and it will be heading towards you.
The smoke generated by the fire above will fill the room with completely opaque, choking black smoke. The room will be dark (really dark) even if the lights are on. You will be dis-oriented and unable to see your hands. Smoke inhalation can kill too, keeping low gives the cleanest air. If you get lost, crawl in one direction to find a wall and follow it to a doorway.
Modern buildings are full of materials which off-gas toxic materials when heated and/or burnt. Most of these "stink" and are very obvious and will stop you entering a hazardous area. Some are odourless and colourless. The most common is Carbon Monoxide. This has a density about that of air (so it hangs around), is colourless and odourless and is fatal in small doses. It binds tightly to Haemoglobin and at an atmospheric concentration of 1.28%, just two breaths will render you unconscious and then dead 3 minutes later. At lower concentrations you may have the luxury of noticing headache and dizziness. If you do - evacuate to clean air immediately and seek urgent first aid (you'll need pure Oxygen for a while).
This information is provided so as to make you aware of the consequences of opening a door to see how big the fire is; to rescue your mate in the next office etc. As a warden, your responsibilities are to save lives - so evacuate the building, don't try to sneek a peek. Stay alive, so you can help - do not become part of the problem.
Page last updated