16 ~ Friday, January 25, 1991 - North Shore News HOME & GARDEN Highrises have own fire hazards HIGHRISE BUILDINGS — we live, work or visit in them regularly. But in case of a fire these long-legged beauties present their own hazards. The District of North Vancouver Fire Department wants you to be safe while you’re up there among the clouds. When you first check into a hotel, be sure you notice where the emergency exits are. In fact, find at least two near the room you’re in. Count the number of doors there are between your room and each exit. In a fire you will have to crawl to keep lower than the smoke, and you probably won't be able to see. If you’ve counted doors you can feel along the wall and recount them to guide your escape. If you are too far from an exit to feel safe, ask for another room. It’s your life. Remember, an elevator is not an emergency exit. Even if they don’t shut down in a fire, don’t use them. They more often kill than save. Inside the room, notice whether there are smoke detectors and automatic fire sprinklers. Hotels with these safety devices are better choices than those without. It’s a good idea to take a smoke alarm from home with you and hang it on the door with string. Don't leave home without one. - Once you're in your hotel room Fabric Prices HOT TIPS North Vancouver District Fire Department for the nights, leave the room key on the bedside table where you can find it quickly in an emergen- cy. If you try to escape a fire and find all exitways blocked, you'll want to get back into your room to wait for the fire department. If a fire alarm sounds, grab your key, roll out of bed and stay close to the floor. If you can do so quickly, take a hand towel or face cloth from the bathrocm, wet it and carry it with you. Use it as a temporary face mask during your escape if the air is smoky. Crawl to the door that leads in- te the hallway. Feel the door with your hand before you open it. If it feels hot, leave it closed. If it doesn’t feel hot, carefully open the door. If it seems safe, crawl out into the hall. Craw! toward the nearest exit, counting doors until you find it. Move quickly but without panic. if that direction does not seem safe, try the second exit you noticed when you arrived. Once in the exit stairway, stand and begin going down to the ground floor. If going down seers to be leading into the smoke and fire, go up to the roof and wait to be rescued. Do not jump! If no exit turns out to be safe, return to your room. Once inside your room, or if you stayed there because the hallway was unsafe, wet blankets Starting From: SOFA Reg. Price $2,393. CLEARANCE! 1,589. LOVESEAT Reg. Price $2,249. CLEARANCE! 1,399. CHAIR Reg. Price $1,278. CLEARANCE! or towels and stuff them around the door to close cracks that might let poison gases seep into your room. Cat! the fire depart- ment, thea the hol cesk. Tell them vour nara. and where vou are. Then stay tee. If the room gets smoky, crawl toward the window, open it an. breathe through it. Hand a shee: or other light-colored item out the window so rescuers know you're inside. If the window is sealed, you can break the glass using a chair, telephone or lamp, but there are risks in doing so. First, don’t throw the item out the window; it might strike some- one on the ground, injuring or even killing them. Second, on some cases after opening the win- dow you might find that smoke from the fire comes right into your room from outside, worsen- ing your situation. If you have broken the window, hanging a wet bedsheet over the window or wetting down the cur- tains and keeping them closed may be the best you can do to keep the smoke out — certainly not ideal. Finally, having done all these things, the only other thing you can do is wait; unless you are on the second fioor, do not try to jump. Few people survive these jumps. The fire department will probably be there any second. 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