A fire is any uncontrolled burning that causes material damage and/or endangers human life. Rarely does a person remain indifferent and calm when a fire occurs, so it is important to be educated on how to behave in the event of a fire.

In many cases during the fire, different behavior of people who found themselves in the middle of the fire was observed. Some people panic and some people don't know where they are and what they need to do due to the shock. That is why it is important to remain as calm as possible in such a situation so that you can ask for help in the best possible way.

What to do in case of fire

1. If you notice a fire immediately call the fire department at your local emergency number.
2. Try to be as calm as possible and speak clearly when the connection is established. State what happened and whether people are in danger.
3. Indicate the exact location or address where the fire or other extraordinary event occurred (traffic accident, flood...).
4. Be prepared to provide additional information about the event and the location of the event, and leave your information (name and surname) and a phone number where you can be called in case additional information is needed.
5. Don't hang up the phone, while you are talking, the fire department is already on its way to the scene, so don't worry about being asked for additional information or receiving instructions on how to proceed.
6. End the conversation when the firefighters or the service you contacted allow you, because they have collected the necessary information.
7. Do not use your phone line until the firefighters arrive, if there is a need for them to contact you again for additional information.

How to behave case of fire

In the following, we provide some useful tips for the most common types of fires that you may encounter in your everyday life. The most important thing is to take care of your own safety and the safety of the people around you during a fire, and not to risk your life when saving property.

Oil fire in kitchen

1. Turn off the gas and/or electricity on the stove and kitchen hood.

2. Protect your hands, head and exposed body parts.

3. Cover the fire with a cover or a fireproof blanket (fire blanket).

4. NEVER pour water into hot oil because it is VERY DANGEROUS! Pouring water into a container containing preheated oil will cause the burning fat or oil to splatter and expand fire. This usually results in greater material damage and severe burns to people in the vicinity.

Apartment or house fire

1. Turn off the electricity and gas.

2. Call the fire department at your local emergency number.

3. If you have a fire extinguisher, start extinguishing it.

4. Warn the neighbors about the incident.

5. Close all doors and windows to slow down the spread of fire and reduce air flow into the room. Never open the door to check the condition of the room!

6. When leaving the apartment, do not use the elevators, but take the stairs.

7. Wait for the firefighters and other emergency services at a safe distance from the building affected by the fire, and explain to them what is going on when they arrive at the scene.

Household appliance fire

Be careful with electrical devices every day. Do not keep electrical appliances plugged into an outlet near the bathtub. If an electrical device falls into the bathtub while you are bathing or showering, an electric shock will occur, which can have fatal consequences.

Various types of portable heaters can also be dangerous and cause fires. Try to keep them away from anything that could catch fire and be sure to turn off and turn off the device when you leave the facility or before going to bed.

Procedures in case of fire of electrical appliances

1. Remove the plug from the socket or break the circuit at the fuse.

2. Smother the fire by covering it. bedspreads must be made of cotton or wool.

3. Try to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher if you have one nearby.

4. Call the fire department at your local emergency number.

5. Do not NEVER put out the fire of electrical appliances with water.

Car fire

1. Stop the vehicle as soon as you notice or suspect a fire, and stop the engine immediately.

2. Carefully lift the bonnet (if you have to).

3. Extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher with ABC powder (if you have it in the vehicle), in such a way as to raise the hood of the engine a little, and create enough space to start extinguishing the fire with the apparatus. Do not raise the engine cover all the way if you see flames in the engine compartment.

4. If there is no flame, disconnect the battery terminals (if possible).

Soot fire in the chimney

During a chimney fire, the internal temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As a result, there are large heat radiations that are emitted through the walls of the chimney, and in this way there is a danger of the fire being transferred from the chimney to the structure of the building or the combustible material and equipment of the house.

Flames and sparks can jump from the chimney or through cracks in the chimney and set fire to the roof and other parts of the house. Neighboring buildings and nearby trees can also be affected. A defective and porous chimney represents a very big danger for users. Combustion products that enter rooms through a porous chimney can be toxic and deadly, and the most common danger is carbon monoxide (CO).

Extinguishing chimney fires

1. If the flues are not cleaned regularly, soot settles on the walls of the chimney and the soot can catch fire. If the chimneys are not properly and well built and plastered, the fire can spread to the wooden structure of the building's roof.

2. If the house is built of hard material, the chimneys are solidly built, and there are no flammable objects near the chimney opening and there is no risk of sparks, it is not necessary to carry out an intervention regarding extinguishing the soot fire in the chimney. It is only necessary to control the burning and wait for the soot to burn, and before leaving the building, make a detailed inspection of the structure and premises.

If it is a house with wooden ceilings, a wooden roof structure with a flammable cover, and in the case where sparks directly endanger the environment, it is necessary to take active fire extinguishing measures. The main task is to prevent the fire from spreading to the immediate surroundings. Then it is necessary to start extinguishing with manual powder extinguishers, so that the powder is inserted into the place of the lowest opening of the chimney and buoyancy pulls it upwards. A bad feature is that the powder does not have a cooling effect, and after extinguishing the fire, it is necessary to carry out the procedure of cleaning the combustible material (soot) in order to prevent it from re-igniting.

Fire in the chimney is difficult to extinguish because it is located on surfaces that are difficult to act on with any extinguishing agent. You have to be patient, because extinguishing takes a long time and it is difficult to achieve complete extinguishing. After extinguishing the fire, the burning soot should be removed from the internal surfaces of the flue with a steel brush and ball, and cleaned through the flue door in the basement. A set of chimney sweep tools is used for this purpose.

3. After extinguishing the chimney fire, it is necessary to clean the chimney, and take the hot embers outside the building and pour water over them.

4. Do not extinguish a soot fire in the chimney with water!

Clothing fire on a person

1. Approach the person from behind and cover the body with a blanket. Lay the person down to prevent the flame from touching the face and hair.

2. Extinguish burning clothing starting from the head down by wrapping the person in a blanket or coat. Free the respiratory organs so that the person can breathe.

3. If the clothes and blanket are stuck to the person's body - do not remove anything by force. If possible, remove the jewelry before the burnt parts swell.

4. If possible, immediately put the burned part under running cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. After cooling, the burned area should be covered with sterile gauze or a bandage for burns (the silver side goes on the burn). Never apply any ointments or apply ice to the burned area. Victims with major burns should drink as much liquid as possible.

5. If your own clothes start to burn - stop, lie on the floor and try to stop the burning of your clothes by rolling on the floor. Protect your ears.

Never wear comfortable and loose clothing (sleeves) near gas stoves, open fires or heaters. Always wear tight sleeves whenever you have to put on an open fireplace, stove or approach a gas stove.

Remember that synthetic clothing is more flammable than cotton and wool. Smoking in bed is also dangerous, especially if the person is under the influence of alcohol.

Plant and dry grass fires

1. Do not light a fire during strong winds, near buildings or forests.

2. When burning weeds and dry grass, it is necessary to provide mobile equipment with extinguishing agents (backpack with water or hand tools).

3. We recommend that you inform the nearest fire brigade or Voluntary Fire Brigade about the burning of dry surfaces, and arrange to be on duty during the burning.

It has been proven many times that the financial resources invested in fire protection and their prevention are hundreds of times less than the resources that need to be set aside for repairing damage after a fire. Most fires can be extinguished relatively easily if noticed in the initial stage and if the correct firefighting equipment is available.

If you need advice and additional information about fire extinguishers, hydrant equipment and other fire protection equipment, please feel free to contact us. We are at your disposal for all questions and find the best solutions for you.