First aid in case of fire can save the lives of several victims. Therefore, it is very important to know what to do with mild, moderate and severe burns, how to recognize carbon monoxide poisoning and provide first aid, and also understand what actions will only cause harm to the victim.
Damaging factors during a fire
Fires are one of the most common occurrences. When burning, various toxic compounds are released that can cause acute poisoning. In addition, high temperatures and open flames are a risk of serious burns. Therefore, the first help in a fire should begin to be provided immediately, but only after making sure that the flame is extinguished \ localized, and you are not in danger.
In a fire, people die more often than from the fire itself, but from poisoning by combustion products (including toxic). This is facilitated by a prolonged stay indoors, panic, an instinctive desire to hide, to shelter from a fire. At the same time, precious time is wasted, which must be used to help yourself and others.
What to do in case of fire
If an open fire or smoke is detected in the building, it is necessary to immediately report the incident to the fire department. If there is no danger of electric shock from electrical appliances, you can begin to extinguish with fire or use a dense fabric. If there is a danger of short circuit, first turn off the power.
Extinguishing flammable liquids is not permitted with water. In this case, you need to use sand, earth, a fire extinguisher, a dense cloth that is dipped in water and wrung out. In no case should you open the windows and windows, because the influx of fresh air will only contribute to the strengthening of the flame.
If it is not possible to eliminate the fire by yourself, you must immediately leave the room and close the door tightly. It is important to warn neighbors about the fire and evacuate the victims in order to provide them first aid. In case of fire, high room temperature and severe smoke, you need to crawl. The temperature closer to the floor is much lower, there is also more oxygen.
Before providing assistance to victims, you need to make sure of their own safety. You should not be at risk of collapse, explosion, fire, heat or smoke, carbon monoxide or combustion products. If possible, the victims should first be evacuated, that is, dragged out into the street or into a safe room (not adjacent to where the fire started).
Burns: severity
First aid for victims of fire should begin with their own safety. If nothing threatens, you need to examine the person and determine what damage he received. The procedure for providing first aid depends on the severity of the burns.
With a mild to moderate degree, the skin turns red, blisters may appear. If crusts appeared and charring is visible, the lesion area is significant, then we are talking about third and fourth degree burns (severe). In this case, you must definitely call the doctors, and act on their own before their arrival.
First aid for mild burns
In case of a burn of the first or second degrees of severity, first you need to reduce the effect of heat on the affected area of the skin, protect the wound from infection, and if necessary, anesthetize. The burnt part of the body should be kept under cold running water for at least fifteen minutes, which will reduce pain, reduce the area of the affected surface and greatly facilitate healing in the future.
To prevent infection, close the affected areas with a sterile dressing. With severe pain, you can give the victim a publicly available pain medication, drink warm sweetened tea to normalize the psychological state.
What can not be done with burns
The main errors in providing first aid in case of fire, if the victim has burns of mild to moderate severity, the following:
- the use of oils for a fresh burn (this prevents cooling naturally and enhances tissue damage);
- the use of folk remedies for the relief of burns;
- applying ice for too long (this can cause hypothermia and worsening of the condition of the victim);
- too tight bandage (causes pain due to pressure on the affected skin);
- piercing blisters formed on the skin (this increases the length of the rehabilitation period and makes it possible for the infection to penetrate).
Such actions will only worsen the state of health of the victim. One of the main rules of first aid in case of fire is the thesis - do no harm. That is, if you do not know for sure whether this or that action is correct, it is better to wait for the doctors to arrive.
Help for a severe burn
First aid to victims of a fire with serious burns or a large area of skin lesions should be provided immediately. Before the ambulance arrives, you need to take the person out of the area affected by the excessively high temperature and put out the clothes that burn or smolder. This can be done with dense fabric.
If there is no pulse or breathing, you should start a heart massage. An unconscious person needs to turn on his side and raise the burned areas above the heart. Towels should be applied to the affected areas of the skin with cool cold water, and covered with dry sheets. The skin around is treated with alcohol. A sterile dressing should be applied to the lesion site.
Assistance Mistakes
In case of severe burns during first aid in case of fire, the following typical errors should be avoided, which will only worsen the condition of the victim:
- clothes attached to the affected areas do not need to be torn off; the fabric is carefully removed along the contour;
- large burns can not be immersed in cold water, because there is a danger of a sharp decrease in blood pressure and shock from hypothermia;
- dressings do not need to be applied too tight because burns often swell.
Carbon monoxide poisoning
First aid in case of fire is often given to victims with visible burns, although carbon monoxide poisoning is no less dangerous. Symptoms of poisoning:
- Strong headache;
- nausea;
- noise in ears;
- dizziness;
- lacrimation
- loss of consciousness, cramps, respiratory arrest (in severe cases).
First aid for poisoning
In case of mild poisoning, it is necessary to provide the victim with access to fresh air, give a smell of ammonia, drink warm tea, provide peace and warmth with a blanket or several sheets.
Severe poisoning involves the following first aid algorithm in case of fire: put on a gas mask, if it is impossible to take the injured person into fresh air, carry out resuscitation measures, call a medical team. If necessary, clear the airways, remove foreign objects and vomit.
The rules of first aid in case of fire should be known to every person, because it is never known what situation they may face. Such knowledge can help save several lives.