What if you inhale the hum of a fire?

If you have had humus inhalation, it is recommended to seek medical help as quickly as possible to prevent permanent injuries from occurring in the airways. In addition, it is recommended to go to an open and ventilated place and preferably to lie on the side in the south.

The first act in a fire situation should be called to firefighters. Also, in order to help save lives, you must first think about your own safety because extreme heat and inhalation of smoke from fire causes serious respiratory problems that can lead to death.

If there are victims in the place, and if you want to help, you must protect yourself from the weather and from the fire, wetting a shirt with water and passing it by the face, and also keeping it around the head to keep the hands free. This is essential so that the fire does not harm their breathing and can help others with security.

Can I help the victims of a fire?

In the face of a fire in the house or the forest, the ideal is to wait for the help provided by the fire department, because these professionals are efficient and are well able to save lives and control the fire. However, if you can help, you must follow these recommendations.

In case a casualty is found, you must:

1. Bring the victim to a fresh, ventilated and humo site, moisten your face with a shirt soaked in water or saline to reduce discomfort;

2. Evaluate if the victim is conscious and breathing:

• In case the victim does not breathe, medical assistance must be sought and started mouth-to-mouth breathing and cardiac massage. See how to perform the CPR maneuver;
• In case the victim breathes, but if he/she is unconscious, medical assistance must be sought and the person placed on the side, placing him/her in the lateral security position.

Fire smoke is highly toxic and can, for this reason, seriously affect the body. In this way, when the victim is conscious and at present no one has any symptoms or discomfort, it is advisable to go to a first aid point to carry out a medical evaluation and exams to guarantee that the person is in danger.

Many victims died after being in a fire due to respiratory complications, such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which could manifest hours after the fire, and could lead to death. For this reason, all the people who were studied in the fire site must be evaluated by doctors.

How to protect yourself in a fire

To minimize damage to health in the event of a fire situation, follow the instructions below:

• Crouch down and protect your nose and mouth with a damp cloth. The mood will rise and it will consume the oxygen available in the room, so the more oxygen is available from the floor;
• You shouldn’t breathe through your mouth, Pues the nose manages to better filter the toxic gases from the air;
• If you should look for a more ventilated place to stay, como en una ventana, for example;
• If other rooms in the house catch fire, you can cover the creases of the puertas with clothes or sábanas to prevent the humo from entering the dwelling where the person is found. To be possible, mojar with water, clothes and everything that can be used to block the fire and the humo;
• Before opening a door, place your hands to check the temperature, if it is very hot, it could indicate that there is fire from the other side and, for this reason, this door should not be opened because it could serve to protect from the fire;
• If the clothes that are taken can be empieza to quemarse, the most correct thing is to get on the ground and rotate to eliminate the llamas, you can run, the fire will increase and the skin will burn quickly;
• It is only recommended to go through the window of a house or building if it is on the ground floor or on the 1st floor, if you are at the top, you must wait for the bombers.

What should not be done

• You must not use the elevators, You put a fire on the electricity and there is a risk of being trapped inside the elevator, which could burn and, in addition, fill with humo;
• You should not go up to the floors of a building, unless these are the emergency exit guidelines during the fire, which is essential;
• You should not stay in the kitchen, the parking lot is not inside the car, You could cause gas or gasoline to cause explosions.

How does a fire affect health

The fire, in addition to causing serious burns, can cause death due to lack of oxygen and respiratory infection that can arise hours after the fire. The lack of oxygen in the air causes disorientation, weakness, nausea, vomiting and fainting.

When the person faints he can’t breathe; However, if you are unconscious and if you remain in the fire, you will be less likely to survive. A reduced amount of oxygen can cause death in less than 10 minutes, for this reason, assistance for fire victims should be carried out as soon as possible.

Aside from the fact that the fire puts life at risk by burning clothes, skin and objects, extreme heat burns the respiratory pathways and the humo consumes the air’s oxygen, leaving large amounts of CO2 and toxic particles that, when inhaled , reaching the lungs and generating intoxication.

In this way, the victim can die from the fire, the mood or respiratory infections caused by the heat or the mood.

Signs that indicate respiratory intoxication

After being exposed to large amounts of humus, some signs and symptoms of respiratory intoxication may arise, such as:

• Difficulty breathing, even in a cool and ventilated place;
• snoring voice;
• Tos very intense;
• Smell of humus or chemical in exhaled air;
• Confusión, as for example in knowing what happened, where to find and confuse people, names and names.

If any of the people present this symptom, even if they are conscious, it is necessary to immediately call medical attention or transport the person to the nearest first aid point.

Some dangerous substances present in the humus can take up to a few hours to cause symptoms; It is recommended, therefore, to maintain the surveillance of the victim at home or bring it to the hospital so that it can be evaluated.

A fire situation could leave fatal victims and survivors might need psychological or psychiatric help during the first few months.