Protect Yourself from Harmful Smoke!

9/22/2022 (Permalink)

You’ve probably heard that if you’re escaping a fire, you should crawl low underneath the smoke. This is, of course, if you cannot find an alternate escape route away from smoke. Heat rises, and in turn, smoke rises. In the attached image, you can see a clear line where the door is damaged from smoke. It’s a great visual to show how important it is to stay low in a fire.

Inhaling harmful smoke for even a short amount of time can cause severe health problems. More than half of all fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation. Should you find yourself in a situation that you need to escape a fire through smoke, the air is generally cleaner 12 to 24 inches above the floor.

Emergency preparedness is so important and we make it a goal at SERVPRO to help our community be prepared for disasters. If you are ever caught in a building with smoke, remember to drop and crawl to the nearest exit. If you come to a closed door, touch it with the back of our hand to test for it. If it is hot, do not open it and look for another exit.