If there has been smoke inhalation, it is recommended to seek medical help as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage to the respiratory tract. Furthermore, it is recommended to go to an open, airy place and lie on the floor, preferably on your side.
The first action in a fire situation should be to call the firefighters by calling 192. But in order to help and save lives, you must first think about your own safety, because extreme heat and inhalation of fire smoke causes serious problems. respiratory infections that can lead to death.
If there are victims at the scene, and if you want to help, you should protect yourself from the smoke and fire by wetting a t-shirt with water and rubbing it all over your face, and then tie the t-shirt around your head to have your hands free. This is essential so that the smoke from the fire does not harm your own breathing and can help others, but safely.
Can I help fire victims?
When faced with a fire at home or in the forest, the ideal is to wait for help from the Fire Department because these professionals are well trained and efficient in saving lives and controlling the fire. But if you can help, you should follow these recommendations.
If you find a victim, you should:
1. Move the victim to a cool placeairy and away from smoke, wet your face with a t-shirt wet with water or saline solution to reduce discomfort;
2. Assess whether the victim is conscious and breathing:
Fire smoke is highly toxic and, therefore, can seriously affect the body. Therefore, even if the victim is conscious and does not present any symptoms or discomfort, it is recommended to go to an emergency room for a medical evaluation and tests to ensure that the person is out of danger.
Many victims die after being in a fire due to respiratory complications such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which can manifest hours after the fire, which can lead to death and therefore all people who have been in a fire scene must be evaluated by doctors.
How to protect yourself in a fire
To minimize damage to health, if you are in a fire situation you must follow the following guidelines:
- Squat down and protect your nose and mouth with a wet cloth. The smoke will rise, consuming the oxygen that is available in the room, but the closer it is to the floor, the greater the amount of oxygen available;
- You shouldn’t breathe through your mouthbecause the nose can better filter toxic gases from the air;
- You should look for a more airy place to stay, like in a window, for example;
- If other rooms in the house are on fire, it could cover door gaps with clothes or sheets to prevent smoke from entering the room where you are. If possible, wet your clothes with water and everything you use to block the fire and smoke;
- Before opening a door, you should place your hand to check its temperature.if it is very hot, it could indicate that there is fire on the other side, and that is why you should not open that door, as it could protect you from the fire;
- If your clothes start to catch fire, the best thing to do is to lie down and roll on the floor. to eliminate flames, as running will increase the fire and burn the skin quickly;
- It is only recommended to exit through the window of a house or building, if it is on the ground or first floor, if it is above, you must wait for the firefighters.
What not to do
- Elevators should not be used because in a fire the electricity is cut off and you could be trapped inside the elevator, which in addition to being able to catch fire, is prone to smoke entering;
- You should not climb the floors of a buildingunless these are emergency exit guidelines during a fire, or if it is essential;
- You should not be in the kitchen, garage, or in the car because of gas and gasoline that could lead to explosions;
How a fire affects health
The fire, in addition to resulting in serious burns, can also lead to death due to lack of oxygen and respiratory infections that can appear hours after the fire. The lack of oxygen in the air leads to disorientation, weakness, nausea, vomiting and fainting.
When a person passes out, they can still breathe but are unconscious and if they remain at the scene of the fire, they have less chance of surviving. A reduced amount of oxygen can lead to death in less than 10 minutes and therefore help to fire victims must be carried out as quickly as possible.
In addition to fire putting life at risk by burning clothing, skin and objects, extreme heat burns the respiratory tract and smoke consumes oxygen from the air, leaving large amounts of CO2 and toxic particles that reach the lungs when inhaled. causing intoxication.
Thus, the victim can die from fire, smoke or respiratory infections caused by heat or smoke.
Signs that indicate respiratory poisoning
After being exposed to large amounts of smoke, some signs and symptoms of respiratory poisoning may appear that can put your life at risk, such as:
- Difficulty breathing, even in a cool, airy place;
- Hoarse voice;
- Very intense cough;
- Smell of smoke or chemicals in exhaled air;
- Mental confusion such as not knowing where you are, what happened and confusing people, dates and names.
If anyone presents these symptoms, even if they are conscious, they should immediately call for medical help by dialing 192, or transport them to a nearby emergency room.
Some dangerous substances present in smoke can take up to a few hours to cause symptoms, therefore it is recommended to monitor the victim at home or take them to the hospital to be evaluated.
A fire situation can leave fatal victims and survivors may require psychological or psychiatric support during the first few months.
