Few things are more frightening than smelling smoke and knowing that there is a fire looming somewhere in your building. Fortunately, by knowing some crucial elements of fire safety, you can escape quickly and help others to do the same. Here’s what to do if there is a fire at work. 

The First Steps to Take After Detecting a Fire at Work

1. Take it seriously.

Admit it, you have all done it. The fire alarm at work goes off and you just sit there continuing to work away.  We have fire drills all the time, and its always the same old routine.  Most just ignore it, some sort of pay attention, and a few always evacuate exactly as they are supposed to do. But what if this one in a thousand alarms turns out to be the real thing.  Think about these facts as you choose to just ignore the next fire alarm.  Fire grows to double its size every minute.  People who do not practice emergency evacuations are more likely to become a casualty because they do not know what to do when faced with real smoke or heat and they are more likely to become trapped by spreading smoke and flames because they wasted time NOT getting out.   Keep in mind that the smoke you smell contains hydrogen cyanide gas, and carbon monoxide. These two deadly gasses will kill you long before you feel the heat of the fire.

2. Warn Others

If you can, shout “fire” and tell people to get to safety. Try to keep everyone calm as you warn them and show them the path towards evacuation. Your place of employment should have a fire evacuation plan in place.  Find it, read it and follow it.  Some employees might be assigned to clear specific floors or areas as the evacuation occurs.  Unless you are one of those assigned individuals, you need to evacuate in a calm and orderly manner immediately.  Aimlessly running around into every door and room you think someone might be to warn them might just get you killed.  If you discover smoke or a small fire you should immediately pull the closest fire alarm, verbally alert all those in the immediate area, notify supervisors and phone receptionist to call 911, and start evacuating immediately. 

3. Evacuate 

Escape the building in the safest way possible, in a calm and orderly manner.  Panic breeds chaos, and chaos gets people injured and killed. NEVER use an elevator during a fire evacuation, even for a fire drill. ALWAYS use the stairs when on upper floors.  You should have an assigned meeting location away from the building so that everyone can be accounted for. If you are missing a co-worker that you believe may still be inside, notify the fire department immediately upon their arrival.  DO NOT try to re-enter the building to look for someone.

Because knowing what to do in a fire is crucial for your survival, taking the time to train your co-workers is important. Fortunately, the team at Command Solutions can help with everything from forming a fire safety plan to teaching CPR training and disaster recovery. As retired Battalion Chief firefighters, these professionals understand the dangers you may be faced with and how to fight them successfully. Find out more about how they can help by visiting their website or by calling (314) 803-7418.