Fire Safety in High Rise Buildings

6/29/2022 (Permalink)

Fire Safety in Commercial Building 

Most of us have a fire safety plan in our homes. How well do you know the fire safety plans when you are in a commercial building? 

If you live in an apartment building as many people here in the White Plains area do, you will want to keep reading.  

Do you know what you would do if there were a fire? 

SERVPRO of White Plains would like to offer you some safety tips.  

If you live in an apartment building take a moment to see where the exit plan is for an emergency such as a fire. Typically, it is near the elevator, but not always. If there isn’t one there should be and we suggest contacting your building's property management team.  

If you hear the fire alarms go off and the fire is not in your apartment or surrounding area, stay where you are until you are rescued or are told to leave. This may take a long time.  

If you haven’t left your apartment and followed the emergency exit to safety, do not try to leave your apartment a long time after the alarm has been sounded. The longer you wait the more risk there is that heavy smoke will be in the hallways and stairways.  

If you smell smoke and cannot escape, use duct tape (or any kind of tape) to seal cracks around the door and place wet towels at the bottom. If you have air ducts cover with tape and paper if you can.  

If smoke enters your apartment, call 911 and tell them where you are. Move to the most smoke free room and close the door. If you can turn on the water in your tub and wet towels in there. Put along the bottom of the room you are in. 

Let emergency responders know where you are buy hanging a sheet waving an article of clothing out the window. Keep low to the floor where the air is cleaner. 

Wait for instructions from emergency responders.  

If the fire is in your apartment get everyone out and close the doors behind you. Alert your neighbors on your way to the emergency exit.   Pull the fire alarm on your floor. Leave the building using the nearest stairway. Call 911 when you are safe and give them the information on the fire.  

We hope these tips keep you safe and that you will never need to use them.