Fire Protection in Hotels
The most important rules of conduct in the case of a fire
- Keep calm so you can act sensibly.
- Raise the alarm immediately if you discover a fire (by using a fire alarm or using the emergency number on your hotel phone).
- Only try to extinguish the fire if you are quite certain that you can manage to do so without endangering yourself. If you are not sure then leave the danger area immediately.
- Wake other guests in nearby rooms before leaving the danger area.
- Shut the doors to prevent smoke and flames from spreading.
If a fire breaks out in another part of the building you will be alerted by the alarm, shouting in the corridors, the telephone or the fire brigade’s siren.
Remember:
Never use the elevator in a fire!
Precaution measures after arrival
Get to know your room.
If smoke or fire is blocking the escape route in the corridors you may have to stay in your room. Many people only manage to survive a hotel fire because they keep calm and wait in their rooms – protected from smoke and fumes – until rescue comes.
Always keep your key in the same place.
(e.g.: on your bedside table or in the door lock) so that you can find it immediately. You will need it in order to get back to your room in case the escape routes are blocked.
Check the windows.
Can they be opened? How do the handles work?
Which window would be the best escape route?
Look out of the window.
Perhaps your room is only a few metres above the ground and you could escape this way. Do not jump from higher levels – the risk of injury is too great. If your room is situated on a higher floor, check whether a roof or a porch is within a safe jumping distance.
Get to know the escape routes.
Study the hotel’s emergency plan which can usually be found in the corridor or in your room: e.g.:
What is the emergency phone number?
Is it noted on the telephone?
Taking time for orientation can save lives!
Walk along the corridor and note where the emergency exits are.
Remember: Never use the elevator in a fire! It could get stuck or take you to a floor already full of smoke and flames.
Check the emergency exits.
Can the doors be opened? Is the escape route clear?
Make a mental note of the details, e.g.: the number of doors between your room and the emergency exits.
You must know which way to go so that if the corridor is dark and full of smoke you can crawl along the wall to the emergency exit.
Look for the nearest fire alarm.
Find out how to use it. You have to be able to find it even in the dark and in thick smoke.
What to do in the case of a fire
Take your key and go to the door.
If your room is full of smoke get out of bed, put on your shoes and crawl to the door (smoke and fumes rise). Breathe through a wet towel.
Check the door with your hand.
If the door or the handle feels hot, do not open it! If not, open the door slowly. Slam the door – if necessary – immediately again.
Check the corridor.
If there is no fire risk, go to the next emergency exit. If the corridor is full of smoke then crawl! (Make sure you keep your room key with you.) Keep close to the wall so that you can count the number of doors to the emergency exit.
If the emergency exit or stairway is blocked, use another emergency exit.
Go down to the ground floor.
Use the handrail – this helps you keep your bearings and ensures you are not knocked down by other hotel guests in panic. If the smoke becomes too thick do not try to continue. Turn back and make your way up towards the roof. When you reach the rooftop keep the door open with something so that the stairway is ventilated and you cannot be locked out while you are waiting for rescue.
What to do if the door feels hot or the corridor is full of smoke.
If your room is on the ground floor or first floor you should be able to jump out onto the ground without injuring yourself too seriously. If your room is higher up it is safer to stay where you are. It is quite possible to survive a fire unharmed by staying in your hotel room.
Draw attention to yourself.
If the telephone works call for help. Hang a sheet out of the window in order to show the fire brigade where you are. Don’t climb down using the sheet.
Switch on the bathroom extractor fan.
Fill the bath tub.
The extractor fan can reduce the smoke. The water in the tub can be used to extinguish any fire in the room. Do not lie down in the bath tub.
Wet towels and sheets.
Seal the cracks around the door with wet towels and sheets to stop smoke from coming in. Use the waste paper bin or ice bucket to take water and splash the door and walls to keep them cool.
Get some fresh air.
If the smoke in your room increases, take a blanket or towel, hang it over your head like a tent and open the window to get some fresh air. If the window cannot be opened smash it with a chair or a drawer if necessary.
But remember: if heat and smoke are rising up towards the window, the window must be kept closed.