When caught in a fire, the first thing to do is to keep your cool and be calm. Then quickly pan around and across the place to find a safe escape route.

When an exit is found, then the next course of action is to look around for others who are also caught in the fire, to whom you could render help.

Indeed, time is the essence when it involves life and death, as in the case of a house on fire as it could spread very quickly and engulf the whole place in minutes. Like it or not, the heat is rather intense, thus making it really difficult for anyone to reach out to the other victims or to get out of the burning house.

Surely you know we survive on oxygen - without it we will perish.

That’s why the police reports often say that fire victims did not really die in the fire but rather from suffocation or literally speaking from smoke inhalations - that is carbon monoxide and other life-threatening gases, not in the first place but later.

Exactly, only when they lose consciousness are they then burnt to death.

So, run out of the house to save yourself first to get help from people outside and to tell them the actual situations inside, etc, etc.

Of course whilst being trapped inside a house on fire, this is the ABC approach to fighting the fire or what you should do to save yourself.

• Do not waste vital life-saving time salvaging things or valuables to take with you.
   
• Just get out of the place with just what you have with you at that time.
   
• Smoke is quite a heavy gas - a person can get choked by smoke - so it is essential to stay low on the floor or ground and move like a combat soldier.
   
• Also, it is good to use a wet towel to seal under the doors to the rooms, while waiting for help.
   
• If there is a fire extinguisher, use it to help you run out of the burning house.

Okay, you all should put all valuables and documents in bank boxes. And you won’t be having them with you in case of a house fire.

If you could tie knots on a rope you should do so as it could be used as a rope ladder to help you get down from an upstairs room in the house during an emergency.

Of course it is wise to install smoke detectors in the house to wake you up in the event of a fire.

And talking of safety doors and windows, it is also a life-saver if you incorporate one emergency escape window or door in the house and see that you use a keyless push-type shutter to hold it. This is so you need not go looking for the key during an emergency and especially when you are in a rush or have a panic attack.

Have all these taken care of to protect your life, valuables and property so that even if a fire occurs unexpectedly, you are fully prepared. You see, by the time the fire truck arrives, everything will be burnt to ashes.

Note: Today, people of all walks of life and ages will charge all electronic devices at night while sleeping. These devices might get overcharged and if the charger continues to heat up, it might get burnt. And, if the mains switch box does not trip, then the wire will start to burn and start a fire.

LAU BING is a community activist and writer in Subang Jaya.