38 ~ Sunday, October 8, 1989 - North Shore News

Know what to do if your airplane crashes

IN VIEW of the recent airline disasters, especially those in which there were survivors, I searched my files for a vital bulletin issued quite some time ago from the FSF Pilot’s

Safety Exchange Bulletin.

It concerns survival in case of a crash — particularly dealing with the clothing an informed passenger should wear.

Fire is one of the main causes of death among passengers who might otherwise survive. Aside from poisonous fumes (I'll go into that later), many die because their clothing ignites or melts.

Synthetic fibres such as nylon, dacron, orlon and polyesters are woven from yarn that is chemically produced. ‘These ignite readily, burn vigorously and continue to burn after the source of ignition is removed.” As they burn, they shrink, melting into the skin.

Isn’t that a pleasant thought?

More important — even though you wear a natural fibre suit, if your underwear is synthetic, it will burn underneath, shrinking and melting into parts of your anatomy that you might not care to lose.

The safest garments for flying — or any potential fire situation — are made of 100 per cent natural fibre — cotton, linen or wool. Don't let blends fool you. Even a 56 per cent natural-synthetic will provide only partial protection.

Here is a direct quote from the bulletin, concerning exactly what a smart passenger should wear. Read it, remember it and above all, follow it!

* Always wear underwear of 100 per cent or high percentage natural fibre wool or cotton.

If you wear long sleeved shirts they should be cotton to protect the lower arms. ®@ Wear ‘vool or cotton slacks.

@ Always wear woolen socks or socks with a high wool content (*note: ladies, cotton is more sen- sible, BMcC). To be otherwise well-clad but to have nylon socks melt around your ankles can com- pletely incapacitate an otherwise unscathed persen. © Never wear a belt, watch strap or tie made of plastic or synthetic material, © Never wear a hair piece made of synthetic hair. e Light cotton or leather gloves provide protection for the hands, a vulnerable part cf the body. * Slacks provide infinitely better protection than a dress. A’ skirt which allows flames to tunnel up inside can cause shocking body burns. * Be careful to check the linings of jackets and coats — the tunneling of flames inside these garments can cause serious burns while leaving the outer material unscathed if it is of natural fibre. ene One thing that wasn’t mentioned: shoes. Can you imagine what

iy

might happen if your shoes melted to your feet?

I know, too, that if I should be so unlucky as to he in a fire, the first thing I'd throw away would be my watch (metal) and rings. My purse would be left behind, too. Fd have to risk keeping my glasses, but they'd get tossed

wise Barbara McCreadie Ss ee

(plastic) as soon as I could see my

way clear. (I don’t wear a lot of

other jewelry when I travel, but if I

did it would be junked as well. gait

Fumes, even if there are no visi- ble flames, are deadly. They can obliterate the vision in the interior of the plane and choke the passen- gers.

Do yourself a favor: before you take off count the rows of seats to the nearest emergency exit. Then, if you must, you can find your way by touch.

If you can, crawl! The air is bet- ter near the floor.

If you have a cotton scarf or handkerchief, press it over your nose and mouth.

And now, I'm going to give you the worst piece of advice you've

ever heard: Don’t panic.

None of us can predict how we will react in any panic scene. I’d like to hope I'd do OK, but I hope 1 don't have to put it to the test.

One last thought — we hear a lot about ‘‘Drinking and driving."" Ever thought about, “Drinking and surviving’? It could sure shorten your odds.

Crt J

HAVE I found a product for

you!

<t me explain. Both Brian and I suffer from aching lower backs whenever we drive for any distance. He finds the same prob- Jem when he sits at his desk for long periods of time.

We were waiting in a little pharmacy — Nosrthmount, in the medical building at 13th Street, just east of Lonsdale. There were two chairs with odd-looking cush- ions, inviting us to sit down —

they are a special design to ease’

lower back pain.

We did. Brian closed his eyes in sheer bliss and remarked that it was the best seat in town. I agreed.

Don’t tell him, but I’m running back tomorrow to buy him one for his birthday.

You can buy the parts separately — the back part is $69.95 and the seat cushion is $18.95. The materi- al is a durable-looking canvas, and they come in various pedestrian colors — beige, royal blue and so on. Who cares? When you're sit- ting on it you can’t see the color anyway.

They attach to any straight chair with an elastic strap and should fit any car with bucket seats with no problem. | lifted one and decided that it wouldn’t be any trouble to cart along as hand baggage on an airline.

Anyone who has never suffered lower back pain is one lucky trav- eller. I’ve seen Brian limping off enough airlines to know that those seats simply don’t have enough support for the lower back, no matter how many pillows you cram behind you.

But, don’t take my word for it — try before you buy.

The brand name is O Bus Forme and they are probably available elsewhere.

KENYA SPECTACULAR |

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