Smoke Inhalation Kills 2 Residents in Chicago High-Rise Fire – When will we ever learn?
By: Albert Zorn, NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist
City Wide Fire Equipment Company - www.citywidefire.com

Once again, on January 26, 2007, a residential high-rise fire in Chicago killed two residents. Cause of death? The autopsy concluded one resident died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation, and the other lost their life because of a heart attack caused by the stress of the fire, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The 2003 Cook County Administration building fire took several lives due to smoke inhalation.

The fact is the number one cause of death associated with fire is smoke inhalation.

What is being done in the United States of America to help prevent loss of life from smoke inhalation, especially in high-rises and hotels? To my knowledge, the extent of personal protection for smoke inhalation involves staying close to the ground, sealing your door with duct tape and wet towels, touching the door knob to see if it is hot and staying in your apartment, suite or office until help arrives. In many cases, by the time help arrives, residents trapped and have inhaled enough carbon monoxide, smoke, and toxic by-products to cause serious health consequences or death.

In countries throughout Asia and Europe, many high-rises, hotels and office complexes are installing smoke escape masks or hoods above each fire extinguisher, in each guest room or along evacuation routes. These masks can last anywhere from 20 minutes, 30 minutes or 60 minutes of breathable air free of smoke, carbon monoxide and toxic chemicals. Some protect against falling hot ash and high temperatures.

So ask yourself ­what is smarter? Locking oneself in a room, with wet towels and duct tape sealing the door and breathing smoke or donning an smoke escape hood, checking for a clear exit and successfully evacuating a building without injury or death? The answer is easy. Why, then, is this piece of personal protection equipment regarded as a novelty? Why do people keep thinking fire and smoke inhalation will never affect them? This question is not easily answered.

My humble opinion is that a certified and tested smoke escape masks or mask should be standard equipment. One should be installed above each fire extinguisher in all public/business facilities. Travelers should take a mask on their trips. Police should have one for each officer in squad cars in case they need to execute a fire rescue. All hotel rooms should have two or more escape masks installed in wall mounted cases. It does not make sense NOT to have one.

Of course, you need do proper reasearch when buying these items. As you may have heard, the EVACU8 smoke hood from Brookdale Enterprises has been recalled due to ineffectiveness. Therefore, always make sure that the mask you purchase has thorough testing by a nationally recognized safety institution and is being used by the U.S. military or NASA. This provides some assurance that the product is safe, is in use and has been tested.

Remember, practice makes perfect. If the escape hood you purchase can be opened without harming the effectiveness or altering the expiration of the product, try it on. Make sure you know how to use it. Be aware of your available escape routes whether at home, at the office or when vacationing. Practice evacuating your home or workplace. When buckling-up on an aircraft, count the rows from you to the nearest exit. When locking your hotel door, view the evacuation routes posted in your room.

If the persons who perished the January 26th 2007 high-rise fire and in the 2003 Cook County Administration Building fire had had smoke escape masks, they probably would have survived. With the proper safety equipment, information and practice, we can look forward to fewer fire-related injuries and deaths due to smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide exposure and toxic chemical inhalation.

Albert Zorn, NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist
City Wide Fire Equipment Company
Phone: (773) 539-7831

Tags: House and Home