What is your immediate reaction to the fire alarm sounding?
According to Offices.co.uk, 75% of people would wait for someone else to react upon the fire alarm sounding and only 10% would act immediately and leave the building. This is a worrying figure considering the report below by disastercompany.com on the typical timeline of a fire in a 2-story house, which shows that it can take less than 5 minutes from the start of a fire to the house being engulfed in flames.
| 0:30 minutes | Fire starts and rapidly grows. |
| 1:04 minutes | Fire spreads from the initial flame, and the room begins to fill with smoke. |
| 1:35 minutes | Temperature of the house goes higher than 190°F while the smoke layer rapidly descends. |
| 1:50 minutes | Smoke detector goes off, and there is still remaining time to get out of the house. |
| 2:30 minutes | Temperature in the source room climbs above 400°F. |
| 2:48 minutes | Smoke will start pouring into the other rooms of the house. |
| 3:03 minutes | Temperature in the room where the fire began will reach over 500°F. No human can survive that kind of heat. |
| 3:20 minutes | Escaping will be very challenging, with the upstairs halls filled with smoke. |
| 3:41 minutes | A “flashover” occurs. Everything in the room where the fire originated will ignite, with the temperature exceeding 1,400°F. |
| 3:50 minutes | Two minutes after the smoke detector went off, the only possible way out is the second exit. |
| 4:33 minutes | Flames will have engulfed the home’s exterior. Rescue is no longer possible. |
| 0:30 minutes | Fire starts and rapidly grows. |
| 1:04 minutes | Fire spreads from the initial flame, and the room begins to fill with smoke. |
| 1:35 minutes | Temperature of the house goes higher than 190°F while the smoke layer rapidly descends. |
| 1:50 minutes | Smoke detector goes off, and there is still remaining time to get out of the house. |
| 2:30 minutes | Temperature in the source room climbs above 400°F. |
| 2:48 minutes | Smoke will start pouring into the other rooms of the house. |
| 3:03 minutes | Temperature in the room where the fire began will reach over 500°F. No human can survive that kind of heat. |
| 3:20 minutes | Escaping will be very challenging, with the upstairs halls filled with smoke. |
| 3:41 minutes | A “flashover” occurs. Everything in the room where the fire originated will ignite, with the temperature exceeding 1,400°F. |
| 3:50 minutes | Two minutes after the smoke detector went off, the only possible way out is the second exit. |
| 4:33 minutes | Flames will have engulfed the home’s exterior. Rescue is no longer possible. |
This video visualises the above and gives a 360° view of a standard living room to show just how quickly a house fire can spread in only 2 ½ minutes.
When Offices.co.uk asked “How long before you would leave the building when a fire alarm sounds”, 38% said more than two minutes; if this were in a small building (similar size to a 2-story house), 2 minutes would have been 3.50 minutes since the fire started, therefore, the fire would have spread throughout the building and escape would be challenging.
The video below shows the worrying human behaviour whilst a fire alarm is sounding.
This video highlights the importance of providing fire awareness and fire warden training to members of staff, to ensure that immediate action is taken when a fire alarm sounds.
Prevention is the best method of fire safety and there are ways of reducing the chance of fire in your premises. Read this short guide from the HM Government on making your premises safe from fire.
What is your immediate reaction to the fire alarm sounding?
According to Offices.co.uk, 75% of people would wait for someone else to react upon the fire alarm sounding and only 10% would act immediately and leave the building. This is a worrying figure considering the report below by disastercompany.com on the typical timeline of a fire in a 2-story house, which shows that it can take less than 5 minutes from the start of a fire to the house being engulfed in flames.
This video visualises the above and gives a 360° view of a standard living room to show just how quicklu a house fire can spread in only 2 ½ minutes.
When Offices.co.uk asked “How long before you would leave the building when a fire alarm sounds”, 38% said more than two minutes; if this were in a small building (similar size to a 2-story house), 2 minutes would have been 3.50 minutes since the fire started, therefore, the fire would have spread throughout the building and escape would be challenging.
The video below shows the worrying human behaviour whilst a fire alarm is sounding.
This video highlights the importance of providing fire awareness and fire warden training to members of staff, to ensure that immediate action is taken when a fire alarm sounds.
Prevention is the best method of fire safety and there are ways of reducing the chance of fire in your premises. Read this short guide from the HM Government on making your premises safe from fire.
