DIY disaster avoidance

[Janet Tweedy]

Trawling through the recent Horizon programme which seemed to be inordinately long, i did see one that that interested us. There was one safety chap who took his own smoke/breathing mask with him to hotels and such like.

Is it worth getting one of them, depending on whether i can find out where they actually sell the things as i can't find anything that looks remotely like it, nor are they forthcoming about prices.

I thought it might be useful if I ever want to take up any DIY that might just cause a bit of smoke sometime :)

[dennis]

?referrer=googleukhoods&engine=adwords!5122&keyword=(parat%20c)&match_type=&gclid=CKS9oe7Gn5kCFYM_3godwk40pwIf you are unlucky enough to get caught in a smoke filled building they could save your life. OTH dying in your sleep rather than being burned to death might be preferable.

[dennis]

[Janet Tweedy]

In article , "dennis@home" writes

seems rather overkill. The hoods seem like a reasonable thing to perhaps acquire:)

[Matty F]

I recommend taking an abseiling rope and gear when you stay in a hotel, as well as the smoke mask. :)

[dennis]

And a base jumping outfit if the ropes too short? Maybe high rise buildings should have curves at the bottom so you can just drop out the windows and slide to a safe stop?

[TheScullster]

"dennis@home" wrote

I'm liking this line of thought, but think the J slope at the base of each building might need too much room. How about an empty lift-shaft type thing with a big fan at the bottom (and safety net above). So you just jump into space and wait for the upflowing air support to kick in - fan on separate genny of course.

Phil

[neverwas]

I suspect that might only work in very unpopular or very, very exclusive hotels. Elsewhere if you were one of the first into the shaft you could well be crushed by the weight of later entrants falling on you; and if you were one of the later entrants you would fall - albeit onto a relatively soft pile of flesh.

Would it also need some clever customers - so, for example, children and thin adults would know to keep their arms and legs in else they would be blown upwards, having a lower weight/cross-section ratio? Naturally I take it as axiomatic that the system would be optimized for FOBs :)

[Harry Bloomfield]

Janet Tweedy submitted this idea :

Oh come on...

I have worn a car seat belt for forty years and not once have I needed to test it :-)

[Michael Chare]

They do restrain you while you are driving which I find helps a bit anyway.

The chances of injury in a motor accident are much higher tha being caught in a hotel type fire.

Making sure that you know the route to a (hotel) fire escape does make sense.

Taking appropriate and prompt action was the other message to the programme.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Michael Chare formulated the question :

True, but the guy with the smoke mask seemed to me to be bordering on on an obsessive/ compulsive disorder.

I must admit I was quite surprised by the reported delays and failures to respond promptly to an emergency - though I suppose I really should not be that surprised. I often carry out fire alarm tests on large buildings and sometimes the tests do at times go wrong and the alarm rings for longer than intended. I have yet to see anyone actually respond to the alarm going off or even question why it might be ringing.

Personally, if the alarm rings and I'm not aware of a planned test - I move.

[geoff]

In message , Matty F writes

Not forgetting a parachute when you fly to alicante next year

[Andrew Gabriel]

There's also the question of switching into the appropriate mode of behaviour. The example I've heard twice on completely different training events related to the Manchester Woolworths fire (IIRC). In the resturant, customers who were eating showed some different behaviours. Some left immediately. Others thought they'd better go and pay for their meal before leaving, queued up at the till, and not all of those made it out. It sounds silly when you say it, but nevertheless, many people don't switch in to the appropriate mode of behaviour when faced with something serious which demands it. Similarly, fires in night clubs, some people try and leave ASAP, but others walk towards the fire to see what's going on, and are less likely to survive.

[Matty F]

How about vertical rails all around the outside of the building, each with a box that slides down the rail. Braking done by rotating paddle. Some way of getting the box up again would be nice. I'd rather not have to have a cable that winds a spring as that could go wrong.

[geoff]

How about a brown paper bag you could put over your head

cheap; and statistically more or less just as useful

[Clive George]

Rope with arrestor devices actually exist - now, what was the name?

[Matty F]

Yes I've seen one - funnily enough as a safety device while testing a stupid magnetic device that would kill people with its G forces. Actually a thin steel cable attached to a rotating paddle would be simple and reliable, as long as the cable could be wound up neatly on ascent. But if it didn't wind up neatly, go to another one :)

[Janet Tweedy]

In article , Harry Bloomfield writes

Well not so :) My sister's husband was working in the garage about 10 years ago (he's a carpenter) later that night, about midnight their house filled with smoke from the garage and the all had to get out in semi darkness. The children did better than they did as they were trained how to get out of a fire at school only that week!

Something had spontaneously combusted in the garage by the wooden doors and the garage was burnt out though the house just had smoke damage,

Maybe a wet towel is a better idea as some people suggested. So I'll stick with that then...............

[Michael Chare]

If the alarm went of in an office where I worked I would assume (from past experience) that it was likely to be a practice. So arguably I have been conditioned over the years to be sceptical of alarms.

[Tony Bryer]

I'm now in a 26th floor unit, so think I'd need a parachute! What I do have are sprinklers in each room.