In fires, those who attempt to flee often suffer severe casualties—particularly those who rush downstairs in hopes of escaping via the first floor—while those who remain indoors and seal their doors to contain smoke generally sustain little or no injury.
(1) Should we run, and if so, where should we run? Clearly, the sole purpose of running is to ensure our safety; both the decision to run and the decision not to run must be based on this fundamental premise. If staying put is safer, then stay put; otherwise, run. The same principle applies to deciding where to run: head for the safest location—whether that means running uphill or spreading out in all directions—depending on the specific circumstances. Of course, making such judgments can be challenging, so one must proceed with great caution when deciding whether to flee. Once you’ve already started running, it becomes much harder to pause, assess the situation calmly, and change direction.
(2) Where should one run? By far the most common instruction we receive is: “Don’t use the elevator—run down the stairs.” The underlying assumption here is that elevators can lose power, while stairwells are safe. But if elevators never lose power and stairwells are not safe, then a serious problem arises. Given our current level of management and the qualifications of personnel, running down the stairs has already resulted in far too many deaths and injuries. Residential fires typically fall into the following categories: basement fires, stairwell fires, unit fires, fires on exterior walls (including advertising signs) and external installations (such as air-conditioning units), and rooftop fires. In the multi-story residential buildings where we live, the stairwells are open; and although high-rise buildings are equipped with smoke-proof stairwells, the fire doors are often left open. This leads to a situation in which, after a basement fire, a stairwell fire, or a unit fire (triggered by residents fleeing through an unlocked back door), the stairwell becomes filled with smoke, loses its safety, and becomes an unsafe escape route.
(3) Running with a towel over your mouth? A towel is not entirely useless, but its effectiveness is really limited. Many articles have already discussed this point: a towel can only filter out some smoke and particulates and provide a slight cooling effect; it offers virtually no protection against toxic gases. If you’re still touting the idea that folding a towel into eight layers can filter out so much or so much toxic gas, I can only say you’re vastly overestimating what a towel can do. In a stairwell fire like this, you don’t even need to run—yet you insist on rushing in, face covered by a towel, into smoke and heat that are several hundred degrees Celsius. You’ll end up with blisters all over your body, and just taking a single breath could be enough to kill you in an instant.
“Fire escape” and “fire survival”—though differing by only one character—carry vastly different meanings. In the event of a fire, our priority should not be to flee, but to survive; after all, fleeing does not necessarily mean surviving. Therefore, we must shift our mindset and genuinely embrace the principle of “survival,” rather than fixating solely on escaping.
Of course, we must be clear that the purpose of running is to ensure our safety; both whether to run and where to run should be based on this fundamental premise. If staying put is safer, then stay put; otherwise, run. The same principle applies to deciding which direction to run: head wherever it’s safest—whether upward or outward—depending on the situation. Naturally, making such judgments can be challenging, so we must proceed with great caution when deciding whether to flee. Once we’ve already started running, it becomes much harder to pause, assess the situation calmly, and change direction.
Survival doesn’t come from simply escaping; stop emphasizing escape and instead focus on self-rescue and fire safety.
We also urge everyone to actively learn and share information on self-rescue techniques and other related topics, so that you know exactly what to do in the event of a fire to protect your life. After all, life is precious and only comes once.
