Assessing fire safety is crucial to any building – residential or commercial. What’s important is to be prepared to tackle the fire. Here’s a checklist of what you can do in case of a fire emergency and how you can be equipped to fight a fire in your building.

What to do in a fire emergency

• In case of a fire, call 101 immediately. Never assume someone else has already done so

• In a fire, activate the fire alarm in your building and shout FIRE at the top of your voice to alert others – yelling anything else can mean that others take longer to realise the seriousness of the situation

• Do not get into a lift/elevator when there is a fire. Use the stairs

• Cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth when caught in smoke

• If you are caught in a room with smoke and cannot find a way out, close the door and seal all cracks with wet towels and sheets to prevent smoke from coming in

• If your building is on fire, unless you are trapped, get out, stay out and call the fire service on 101

• Heavy smoke and poisonous gases first collect along the ceiling. If there is smoke, keep low to the ground where the air is cleaner

• Exercise caution when opening a window during a fire – it can bring in smoke or fan a flame

• If trapped, listen to instructions from authorised personnel

• If your clothes catch fire, do not run as it will fan the flames. Lie down and roll around. Smother the flames with heavy material like a blanket or coat

Be prepared for a fire emergency

• Make yourself familiar with where the fire fighting equipment in your building is located

• Regularly take a walk around to make yourself familiar with the fire escape routes in your building

• Do not use walkways, corridors and passages as storage areas

• Ensure that your building association organises fire drills once every six months and that you have a designated safe assembly area in your building

• Regularly clean away waste material from your building that can burn easily

• Make sure there are people in your office or apartment specially trained to deal with emergencies like fires

• Those with special needs or differently-abled should discuss emergency plans with family, friends and employers

Fire safety equipment

• Invest in a smoke alarm for your home or office

• Make sure the smoke and fire alarms, public address system, water hydrants and fire extinguishers in your buildings are in working condition

• Check the date on the fire extinguisher. Make sure it has been serviced and refilled on time

• Learn how to use a fire extinguisher and when to use one

What not to do

• Crowds around a building on fire can hamper emergency and rescue services. Call 101 and exit from the area

• If you are not trained in emergency and fire safety, do not shout instructions to those trapped. You may confuse and mislead them

• Do not secure fire exit doors in a manner where they cannot be opened easily

• Do not open the door to a room if the door feels hot when touched with the back of your hand

• Cigarettes should be smoked only in designated smoking areas where there are ashtrays. Do not smoke in bed or when you are sleepy

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