Fire Aboard The MS Eurodam???

[manbehindthecurtain]

When the ship's corridors fill with smoke, the only way to exit is to go down on your hands and knees and crawl

 

And on that topic: some passengers think it is inconvenient to have their electrical scooter inside their cabin, so they just park it in the corridor in front of their door. This seriously blocks the corridor and works like a cork when a large group of people need to pass by. Especially on hands and knees!

 

If you come across this on your next cruise(s), please contact the front office to notify them, so we can address it with the scooter's owner.

[wrp96]

Everytime i would go on a cruise with my parents a few years back, my mother and i would wonder why my dad always left the cabin for a few minutes right after we walked in and dropped our carry-ons. Well, i asked him one day, and turns out, he counts all the doorways in the hall to the nearest emergency exit.

 

I always thought he was weird, but the more i thought about it, it made alot of sense. In a fire, your eyes are pretty much useless, its dark and smoky, so thats why dad use to do it. To be able to feel his way to an emergency exit.

 

 

Very smart of your dad. You should also count the number of doorways to emergency exits in hotels and the number of rows to the exit (both in front of you and in back of you) on airplanes.

[Randyk47]

We've experienced two fires, one on the Oosterdam and the other on the Volendam. I can't remember which was which but one was a trash fire and the other some kind of fire in the engine room. They both happened in the middle of the night but neither time did we have to leave our cabins. Can't say it's normal, and certainly not acceptable, but apparently it happens.

[Typhoon1]

Captain Mercer makes a great fire announcement. On the Zuiderdam some years ago there was a small fire in one of the cabins.

 

While making the announcement another crew member could be heard coughing in the background.:eek::eek:

[Vampire Parrot]

I was sent this a few years ago - it's worth reading. My own company (which spends over a billion dollars per year on business travel) has it posted on the internal travel website.

 

VP

------------------------

WARNING: HOTELS COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH...

 

by Retired Captain RH Kauffman, Los Angeles County Fire Department

 

To all my friends who travel, please read this and be safe.

Have you ever been in a hotel during a fire? It's a frightening

experience, and you should start thinking about it. For instance, how

would you have acted if you had been in one of these fires?

The Thomas Hotel, San Francisco, Ca 20 DEAD

The Gulf Hotel, Houston, Texas 54 DEAD

The La Salle Hotel, Chicago, Ill 61 DEAD

The Wincoff Hotel, Atlanta, Ca 119 DEAD

Of course, there have been hundreds more with thousands of deaths, but I

think you're getting the drift. The majority of those people did not have

to die.

My wife has been in the airline industry for close to 8 years and while

accompanying her on a trip recently, I learned how ill-prepared she was

for a hotel fire. It's not her fault: it's quite common. Hotels, however,

have no excuse for being ill-prepared, but believe me, you cannot depend

on the staff in case of a fire. History has shown that some hotels won't

even call the Fire Department. I have been a fire-fighter in Los Angeles

for over 10 years and have seen many people die needlessly in building

fires. It's sad because most could have saved themselves.

What you're about to read is roughly the same briefing I have given my

wife on hotel safety. I do not intend to play down the aspects of hotel

fires or soft soap the language. It's critical that you remember how to

react, and, if I shake you a little, maybe you will.

Contrary to what you have seen on television or in the movies, fire is not

likely to chase you down and burn you to death. It's the bi-products of

fire that will kill you. Super heated fire gases (smoke) and panic will

almost always be the cause of death long before the fire arrives if it

ever does. This is very important. You must know how to avoid smoke and

panic to survive a hotel fire. With this in mind, here are a few tips:

SMOKE

Where there is smoke, there is not necessarily fire. A smoldering

mattress, for instance, will produce great amounts of smoke. Air

conditioning and air exchange systems will sometimes pick up smoke from

one room and carry it out to other rooms or floors. You should keep that

in mind because 70% of the hotel fires are caused by smoking and matches.

In any case, your prime objective should be to leave at the first sign of

smoke.

Smoke, being warmer, will start accumulating at the ceiling and work its

way down. The first thing you will notice is THERE ARE NO EXIT SIGNS. I'll

talk more about the exits later, just keep in mind when you have smoke,

it's too late to start looking for Exit signs.

Another thing about smoke you should be aware of is how irritating it is

on the eyes. The problem is that your eyes will only take so much

irritation, then they close. Try all you want, you won't be able to open

them if there is still smoke in the area. It's one of your body's

compensatory mechanisms. Lastly, the fresh air you want to breath is at or

near the floor. Get on your hands and knees (or stomach) and STAY THERE as

you make you way out. Those who don't probably won't get far.

Think about this poor man's predicament for a moment:

He wakes up at 0230 hours to a smell of smoke. He puts on his trousers

and runs into the hallway only to be greeted by heavy smoke. He has no

idea where the exit is. He runs to the right. He's coughing and gagging,

his eyes hurt. Where is it??? WHERE IS IT?? Panic begins to set in.

About the same time he thinks maybe he is going the wrong way, his eyes

close. He can't find his way back to his room (it wasn't so bad in

there). His chest hurts, he desperately needs oxygen. Total panic sets

in as he runs in the other direction. He is completely disorientated. He

cannot hold his breath any longer. We find him at 0250. DEAD

What caused all the smoke? A small fire in a room where they store the

roll-away beds. Remember, the presence of smoke does not necessarily mean

the hotel is burning down.

PANIC

Panic (pan ik). A sudden, overpowering terror often afflicting many people

at once. Panic is the product of your imagination running wild and it will

set in as soon as it dawns on you that you're lost, disorientated, or you

don't know what to do. Panic is almost irreversible: once it sets in, it

seems to grow. Panic will make you do things that could kill you. People

in a state of panic are rarely able to save themselves.

If you understand what;s going on, what to do, where to go, and how to get

there, panic will not set in. The man in the example I used would not have

died if he had known what to do. For instance, had he known the exit was

to the left and 4 doors down on the left, he could have gotten on his

hands and knees where there was fresh air and started counting doorways.

Even if he couldn't keep his eyes open, he could feel his way as he

crawled, counting the doors. 1... 2... 3... BINGO! He would NOT have

panicked. He would be alive today, telling of his great hotel fire

experience.

EXITS

The elevator drops you at the 12th floor and you start looking for your

room. Let's see ... room 1236 ... here it is. You open the door and drop

your luggage. AT THAT VERY MOMENT, turn around and go back into the

hallway to check your Exit. You may NEVER get another chance. Don't go

into the bathroom, open the curtains, turn on the TV, smarten your

appearance, or crash out on the bed. I know you're tired and you want to

relax, but it's absolutely essential ... no ... CRITICAL that you develop

the HABIT of checking for your exit after you drop your luggage. It won't

take 30 seconds, and believe me, you may NEVER get another chance.

If there are 2 of you sharing a room, BOTH of you locate your Exit. Talk

it over as you walk towards it. Is it on the left or right ... do you have

to turn a corner? Open the Exit door ... what do you see ... stairs or

another door? (Sometimes there are 2 doors to go through, especially in

newer hotels. ) I'd hate to see you crawl into a broom closet thinking it

was the Exit! Are you passing any rooms where your friends are staying? If

there was a fire, you may want to bang on their doors as you go by. Is

there anything in the hallway that would be in your way ... an ice-machine

maybe? As you arrive back at your room, take a look once more. Get a good

mental picture of what everything looks like. Do you think you could get

to the Exit with a blindfold on?

This procedure takes less than one minute and to be effective, it must

become a habit. Those of you who are too lazy or tired to do it

consistently are real riverboat gamblers. There are over 5,000 hotel fires

per year. The odds are sure to catch up with you.

USING THE EXIT

Should you have to leave your room during the night, it is important to

close the door behind you. This is very effective in keeping out fire and

will minimize smoke damage to you belongings.

There was a house fire in Los Angeles recently where an entire family

died. It was a 3 bedroom house with a den and family room. That night, the

occupants had left every door in the house open except one, and it had led

to the washrooms where the family dog slept. The house, except for the

washroom, was a total loss. When the fire was knocked down, firemen opened

the door to find the family dog wagging his tail. Because the door was

left shut, the dog and room were in fine shape.

Some doors take hours to burn through. They are excellent fire stops so

close every door you go through. If you find smoke in the Exit stairwell,

you can bet people are leaving the doors open as they enter.

Always take your key with you. Get into the habit of putting the key in

the same place every time you stay in a hotel. Since every hotel has night

stands, that's an excellent location. It's close to the bed so you can

grab it when you leave without wasting time looking for it. It's important

you close your door as you leave, and it's equally as important that you

don't lock yourself out. You may find conditions in the hallway untenable,

and want to return to your room. If you're now in the habit of checking

your exit and leaving the room key on the night stand, you're pretty well

prepared to leave the hotel in case of a fire, so let's walk through it

once.

Something will awaken you during the night. It could be the telephone,

someone banging on the door, the smell of smoke, or some other

disturbance. But, whatever it is, investigate it before you go back to

sleep. A popular inn near LAX recently had a fire and one of the guests

later said he was awakened by people screaming but went back to bed

thinking it was a party. He damned near died in bed.

Let's suppose you wake up to smoke in your room. Grab you key off the

night stand, roll off the bed and head for the door on you hands and

knees. Even if you could tolerate the smoke by standing, DON'T. You'll

want to save your eyes and lungs for as long as possible. BEFORE you open

the door, feel it with the palm of your hand. If the door or knob is quite

hot, don't open it. The fire could be just outside. We'll talk about that

later. With the palm of your hand still on the door (in case you need to

slam it shut), slowly open the door and peek into the hallway to assess

conditions.

As you make your way to the Exit, stay against the wall on the side where

the Exit is. It is very easy to get lost or disorientated in a smoky

atmosphere. If you're on the wrong side of the hallway, you might crawl

right on by the Exit. If you're in the middle of the hall, people who are

running will trip over you. Stay on the same side as the Exit, count doors

as you go.

When you reach the Exit and begin to descend, it is very important that

you WALK down and hang onto the handrail as you go. Don't take this point

lightly. The people who will be running will knock you down and you might

not be able to get up. Just hang on and stay out of everyone's way. All

you have to do now is leave the building, cross the street and watch the

action. When the fire is out and the smoke clears, you will be allowed to

re-enter the building. If you closed your room door when you left, your

belongings should be in pretty good shape. Smoke will sometimes get into

the Exit stairway. If it's a tall building, this smoke may not rise very

high before it cools and becomes heavy. This is called "stacking". If your

room is on the 20th floor, for instance, you could enter the stairway and

find it clear. As you descend you could encounter smoke that has

"stacked". Do not try to run through it - people die that way. Turn around

and walk up. Now you must really hang onto the handrail. The people

running down will probably be glassy-eyed and in a panic and will knock

you right out of your socks!

They will run over anything in their way, including a fireman. You'll feel

as though you're going upstream against the Chicago Bears, but hang on and

keep heading up towards the roof. If for some reason you try one of the

doors to an upper floor and find it locked, that's normal, don't worry

about it. Exit stairwells are designed so that you cannot enter from the

street or roof. Once inside, however, you may Exit at the street or roof

but cannot go from floor to floor; this is done for security purposes.

When you reach the roof, prop the door with something. This is the ONLY

time you will leave a door open. Any smoke in the stairwell may now vent

itself to the atmosphere and you won't be locked out. Now find the

windward side of the building (the wet finger method is quite reliable),

have a seat and wait until they find you. Roofs have proved to be a safe

secondary exit and refuge area. Stay put. Firemen will always make a

thorough search of the building looking for bodies. Live ones are nice to

find.

YOUR ROOM

After you check your Exit and drop the key on the night stand, there is

one more thing for you to do. Become familiar with your room. See if your

bathroom has a vent; all do, but some have electric motors. Should you

decide to remain in your room, turn it on to help remove the smoke. Take a

good look at the window in your room. Does it open? Does it have a latch,

a lock? Does it slide? Now open the window (if it works) and look outside.

What do you see? A sign, ledges? How high up are you? Get a good mental

picture of what's outside, it may come in handy. It's important you know

how to OPEN your window, you may have to close it again.

Should you wake up to smoke in your room and the door is too hot to open

or the hallway is completely charged with smoke, don't panic. Many people

have defended themselves quite nicely in their room and so can you. One of

the first things you'll want to do is open the window to vent the smoke. I

hope you learned how to open it when you checked in. It could be dark and

smoking in the room. Those who don't will probably throw a chair through

the window. If there is smoke outside and you have no window to close, it

will enter your room and you will be trapped. The broken glass from the

window will cut like a surgeon's scalpel. At the Ramada Inn fire, an

airline captain on a layover threw a chair through the window and cut

himself seriously. Don't compound your problems. Besides, if you break out

your window with a chair, you could hit a fireman on the street below.

If there is fresh air outside, leave the window open, but keep an eye on

it. At this point, most people would stay at the window, waving

frantically, while their room continues to fill with smoke, if the fire

burns through. This procedure is not conducive to longevity. You must be

aggressive and fight back. Here are some things you can do in any order

you choose ... if the room phone works, let someone know you're in there.

Flip on the bathroom vent. Fill the bath with water. (Don't get into it -

it's for fire fighting. You'd be surprised how many people try to save

themselves by getting into a tub of water - that's how you cook lobsters

and crabs, so you know what happens!) Wet some sheets or towels, and stuff

the cracks of your door to keep out the smoke. With your ice-bucket, bail

the water from the bath onto the door to keep it cool. Feel the walls - if

they are hot, bail water onto them too. You can put your mattress up

against the door and block it in place with the dresser. Keep it wet -

keep everything wet. Who cares about the mess. A wet towel tied around

your nose and mouth is an effective filter if your fold it in a triangle

and put the corner in your mouth. If you swing a wet towel around the

room, it will help clear the smoke. If there is a fire outside the window,

pull down the curtains and move everything combustible away from the

window. Bail water all around the window. Use your imagination and you may

come up with some tricks of you own. The point is, there shouldn't be any

reason to panic - keep fighting until reinforcements arrive. It won't be

long.

ELEVATORS

There isn't an elevator made that can be used as a "safe" exit. In all

states, elevators by law, cannot be considered an Exit. They are

complicated devices with a mind of their own. The problem is people only

know one way out of a building - the way they came in, and if that was the

elevator, they are in trouble. Elevator shafts and machinery extends

through all floors of a building, and besides, with the shaft filling with

smoke, there are hundreds of other things that could go wrong and probably

will. Everyone tries to get on the elevator in an emergency. Fights break

out and people get seriously injured. Smoke, heat and fire do funny things

to elevator call buttons, controls and other complicated parts.

Case in point:

Hotel guests in a New Orleans hotel were called on their room phones and

notified of a fire on the upper floors. They were in no danger, but

asked to evacuate the hotel as a precaution. Five of the guests decided

to use the elevator. It was discovered later that the elevator only went

down about three floors and then for some reason started going up. It

did not stop until it reached the fire floor. The doors came open and

were held open by smoke obscuring the photo cell light beam. Besides the

five guests in the elevator who died of suffocation, firemen noticed

that every button had been pushed, probably in a frantic attempt to stop

the elevator.

Fires have killed many people, including firemen. Several New York firemen

recently used an elevator when responding to a fire up on the 20th floor.

They pushed 18, but the elevator went right on by the 18th floor. The

doors came open on the 20th floor to an inferno and remained open long

enough to kill all the firemen. The doors then closed and the elevator

returned to the lobby. Hand operated elevators are not exempt. Some

elevator operators have been beaten by people fighting over the controls.

If you have any idea that there might be smoke or fire in your hotel,

avoid the elevator like the plague.

JUMPING

It's important I say something about jumping because so many people do it.

Most are killed or injured in the process. I cannot tell you whether or

not you should jump. Every fire, although similar, is different. I can

tell you, however, what usually happens to "jumpers".

If you're on the 1st floor, you could just OPEN the window and climb out.

From the second floor you could probably make it with a sprained ankle,

but you must jump out far enough to clear the building. Many people hit

window sills and ledges on the way down, and they go into cartwheels. If

they don't land on their head and kill themselves, they're injured

seriously. If you're any higher than the 3rd, the chances are you won't

survive the fall. You would probably be better off fighting the fire.

Nearby buildings seem closer than they really are and many have died

trying to jump to a building that looked 5 feet away, but was actually 15

feet away.

Panic is what causes most people to jump. There was a fire in Brazil a few

years ago where 40 people jumped from windows and all 40 died. Ironically,

36 of those jumped after the fire was out. Many people have survived by

staying put whilst those around them jumped to their death. If you can

resist panic and think clearly, you can use your own best judgment.

CALLING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT

Believe it or not, most hotels will not call the Fire Department until

they verify whether or not there really is a fire and try to put it out

themselves. Should you call the reception to report a fire, they will

always send the bellhop, security guard, or anyone else that's not busy to

investigate. Hotels are very reluctant to "disturb" their guests and fire

engines in the streets are quite embarrassing and tend to draw crowds.

In the New Orleans hotel fire, records show that the Fire Department

received only one call, from a guest in one of the rooms. The desk had

been notified of fire 20 minutes earlier and had sent a security guard to

investigate. His body was later found on the 12th floor about 10 feet from

the elevator.

Should you want to report a fire or smell of smoke, ask the hotel operator

for an outside line for a local call. Call the Fire Department and tell

them your room number in case you need to be rescued. You need not feel

embarrassed, that's what we're here for. We would much rather come to a

small fire or smoking electrical problem that you smelled than be called

20 minutes later after 6 people have died. Don't let hotel "policy"

intimidate you into doing otherwise. The hotel may be a little upset with

you, but really ... who gives a damn. The Fire Department will be glad you

called: you may have saved many lives. Besides, it's a great way for us to

meet people!

Well, the rest is up to you. Only you can condition yourself to react in a

hotel emergency. You can be well prepared by developing the habits we've

talked about.

[Copper10-8]

Good read, Vampire Parrot! Thanks for posting! Pre-plan, Pre-plan, Pre-plan!

[fb0075]

BrianTom,

 

Why so negative--not necessary!!

[Williebill]

Don't know if this is true on cruise ships, but as the safety officer in the medical facility where I work, fire drills are done routinely. They are done an all shifts, day and night because everyone must be prepared if a fire should occur. No one announces "this is a drill", we just do what we should , prepare to evacuate, and wait for the all clear signal, or evacuate signal. Happily we have never had a fire, but we sure know what to do.:)

 

Most state Fire Codes require fire drills on a quarterly basis on all three shifts in a Healthcare environment.

[Williebill]

I was sent this a few years ago - it's worth reading. My own company (which spends over a billion dollars per year on business travel) has it posted on the internal travel website.

 

VP

------------------------

WARNING: HOTELS COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH...

 

by Retired Captain RH Kauffman, Los Angeles County Fire Department

 

To all my friends who travel, please read this and be safe.

Have you ever been in a hotel during a fire? It's a frightening

experience, and you should start thinking about it. For instance, how

would you have acted if you had been in one of these fires?

The Thomas Hotel, San Francisco, Ca 20 DEAD

The Gulf Hotel, Houston, Texas 54 DEAD

The La Salle Hotel, Chicago, Ill 61 DEAD

The Wincoff Hotel, Atlanta, Ca 119 DEAD

Of course, there have been hundreds more with thousands of deaths, but I

think you're getting the drift. The majority of those people did not have

to die.

My wife has been in the airline industry for close to 8 years and while

accompanying her on a trip recently, I learned how ill-prepared she was

for a hotel fire. It's not her fault: it's quite common. Hotels, however,

have no excuse for being ill-prepared, but believe me, you cannot depend

on the staff in case of a fire. History has shown that some hotels won't

even call the Fire Department. I have been a fire-fighter in Los Angeles

for over 10 years and have seen many people die needlessly in building

fires. It's sad because most could have saved themselves.

What you're about to read is roughly the same briefing I have given my

wife on hotel safety. I do not intend to play down the aspects of hotel

fires or soft soap the language. It's critical that you remember how to

react, and, if I shake you a little, maybe you will.

Contrary to what you have seen on television or in the movies, fire is not

likely to chase you down and burn you to death. It's the bi-products of

fire that will kill you. Super heated fire gases (smoke) and panic will

almost always be the cause of death long before the fire arrives if it

ever does. This is very important. You must know how to avoid smoke and

panic to survive a hotel fire. With this in mind, here are a few tips:

SMOKE

Where there is smoke, there is not necessarily fire. A smoldering

mattress, for instance, will produce great amounts of smoke. Air

conditioning and air exchange systems will sometimes pick up smoke from

one room and carry it out to other rooms or floors. You should keep that

in mind because 70% of the hotel fires are caused by smoking and matches.

In any case, your prime objective should be to leave at the first sign of

smoke.

Smoke, being warmer, will start accumulating at the ceiling and work its

way down. The first thing you will notice is THERE ARE NO EXIT SIGNS. I'll

talk more about the exits later, just keep in mind when you have smoke,

it's too late to start looking for Exit signs.

Another thing about smoke you should be aware of is how irritating it is

on the eyes. The problem is that your eyes will only take so much

irritation, then they close. Try all you want, you won't be able to open

them if there is still smoke in the area. It's one of your body's

compensatory mechanisms. Lastly, the fresh air you want to breath is at or

near the floor. Get on your hands and knees (or stomach) and STAY THERE as

you make you way out. Those who don't probably won't get far.

Think about this poor man's predicament for a moment:

He wakes up at 0230 hours to a smell of smoke. He puts on his trousers

and runs into the hallway only to be greeted by heavy smoke. He has no

idea where the exit is. He runs to the right. He's coughing and gagging,

his eyes hurt. Where is it??? WHERE IS IT?? Panic begins to set in.

About the same time he thinks maybe he is going the wrong way, his eyes

close. He can't find his way back to his room (it wasn't so bad in

there). His chest hurts, he desperately needs oxygen. Total panic sets

in as he runs in the other direction. He is completely disorientated. He

cannot hold his breath any longer. We find him at 0250. DEAD

What caused all the smoke? A small fire in a room where they store the

roll-away beds. Remember, the presence of smoke does not necessarily mean

the hotel is burning down.

PANIC

Panic (pan ik). A sudden, overpowering terror often afflicting many people

at once. Panic is the product of your imagination running wild and it will

set in as soon as it dawns on you that you're lost, disorientated, or you

don't know what to do. Panic is almost irreversible: once it sets in, it

seems to grow. Panic will make you do things that could kill you. People

in a state of panic are rarely able to save themselves.

If you understand what;s going on, what to do, where to go, and how to get

there, panic will not set in. The man in the example I used would not have

died if he had known what to do. For instance, had he known the exit was

to the left and 4 doors down on the left, he could have gotten on his

hands and knees where there was fresh air and started counting doorways.

Even if he couldn't keep his eyes open, he could feel his way as he

crawled, counting the doors. 1... 2... 3... BINGO! He would NOT have

panicked. He would be alive today, telling of his great hotel fire

experience.

EXITS

The elevator drops you at the 12th floor and you start looking for your

room. Let's see ... room 1236 ... here it is. You open the door and drop

your luggage. AT THAT VERY MOMENT, turn around and go back into the

hallway to check your Exit. You may NEVER get another chance. Don't go

into the bathroom, open the curtains, turn on the TV, smarten your

appearance, or crash out on the bed. I know you're tired and you want to

relax, but it's absolutely essential ... no ... CRITICAL that you develop

the HABIT of checking for your exit after you drop your luggage. It won't

take 30 seconds, and believe me, you may NEVER get another chance.

If there are 2 of you sharing a room, BOTH of you locate your Exit. Talk

it over as you walk towards it. Is it on the left or right ... do you have

to turn a corner? Open the Exit door ... what do you see ... stairs or

another door? (Sometimes there are 2 doors to go through, especially in

newer hotels. ) I'd hate to see you crawl into a broom closet thinking it

was the Exit! Are you passing any rooms where your friends are staying? If

there was a fire, you may want to bang on their doors as you go by. Is

there anything in the hallway that would be in your way ... an ice-machine

maybe? As you arrive back at your room, take a look once more. Get a good

mental picture of what everything looks like. Do you think you could get

to the Exit with a blindfold on?

This procedure takes less than one minute and to be effective, it must

become a habit. Those of you who are too lazy or tired to do it

consistently are real riverboat gamblers. There are over 5,000 hotel fires

per year. The odds are sure to catch up with you.

USING THE EXIT

Should you have to leave your room during the night, it is important to

close the door behind you. This is very effective in keeping out fire and

will minimize smoke damage to you belongings.

There was a house fire in Los Angeles recently where an entire family

died. It was a 3 bedroom house with a den and family room. That night, the

occupants had left every door in the house open except one, and it had led

to the washrooms where the family dog slept. The house, except for the

washroom, was a total loss. When the fire was knocked down, firemen opened

the door to find the family dog wagging his tail. Because the door was

left shut, the dog and room were in fine shape.

Some doors take hours to burn through. They are excellent fire stops so

close every door you go through. If you find smoke in the Exit stairwell,

you can bet people are leaving the doors open as they enter.

Always take your key with you. Get into the habit of putting the key in

the same place every time you stay in a hotel. Since every hotel has night

stands, that's an excellent location. It's close to the bed so you can

grab it when you leave without wasting time looking for it. It's important

you close your door as you leave, and it's equally as important that you

don't lock yourself out. You may find conditions in the hallway untenable,

and want to return to your room. If you're now in the habit of checking

your exit and leaving the room key on the night stand, you're pretty well

prepared to leave the hotel in case of a fire, so let's walk through it

once.

Something will awaken you during the night. It could be the telephone,

someone banging on the door, the smell of smoke, or some other

disturbance. But, whatever it is, investigate it before you go back to

sleep. A popular inn near LAX recently had a fire and one of the guests

later said he was awakened by people screaming but went back to bed

thinking it was a party. He damned near died in bed.

Let's suppose you wake up to smoke in your room. Grab you key off the

night stand, roll off the bed and head for the door on you hands and

knees. Even if you could tolerate the smoke by standing, DON'T. You'll

want to save your eyes and lungs for as long as possible. BEFORE you open

the door, feel it with the palm of your hand. If the door or knob is quite

hot, don't open it. The fire could be just outside. We'll talk about that

later. With the palm of your hand still on the door (in case you need to

slam it shut), slowly open the door and peek into the hallway to assess

conditions.

As you make your way to the Exit, stay against the wall on the side where

the Exit is. It is very easy to get lost or disorientated in a smoky

atmosphere. If you're on the wrong side of the hallway, you might crawl

right on by the Exit. If you're in the middle of the hall, people who are

running will trip over you. Stay on the same side as the Exit, count doors

as you go.

When you reach the Exit and begin to descend, it is very important that

you WALK down and hang onto the handrail as you go. Don't take this point

lightly. The people who will be running will knock you down and you might

not be able to get up. Just hang on and stay out of everyone's way. All

you have to do now is leave the building, cross the street and watch the

action. When the fire is out and the smoke clears, you will be allowed to

re-enter the building. If you closed your room door when you left, your

belongings should be in pretty good shape. Smoke will sometimes get into

the Exit stairway. If it's a tall building, this smoke may not rise very

high before it cools and becomes heavy. This is called "stacking". If your

room is on the 20th floor, for instance, you could enter the stairway and

find it clear. As you descend you could encounter smoke that has

"stacked". Do not try to run through it - people die that way. Turn around

and walk up. Now you must really hang onto the handrail. The people

running down will probably be glassy-eyed and in a panic and will knock

you right out of your socks!

They will run over anything in their way, including a fireman. You'll feel

as though you're going upstream against the Chicago Bears, but hang on and

keep heading up towards the roof. If for some reason you try one of the

doors to an upper floor and find it locked, that's normal, don't worry

about it. Exit stairwells are designed so that you cannot enter from the

street or roof. Once inside, however, you may Exit at the street or roof

but cannot go from floor to floor; this is done for security purposes.

When you reach the roof, prop the door with something. This is the ONLY

time you will leave a door open. Any smoke in the stairwell may now vent

itself to the atmosphere and you won't be locked out. Now find the

windward side of the building (the wet finger method is quite reliable),

have a seat and wait until they find you. Roofs have proved to be a safe

secondary exit and refuge area. Stay put. Firemen will always make a

thorough search of the building looking for bodies. Live ones are nice to

find.

YOUR ROOM

After you check your Exit and drop the key on the night stand, there is

one more thing for you to do. Become familiar with your room. See if your

bathroom has a vent; all do, but some have electric motors. Should you

decide to remain in your room, turn it on to help remove the smoke. Take a

good look at the window in your room. Does it open? Does it have a latch,

a lock? Does it slide? Now open the window (if it works) and look outside.

What do you see? A sign, ledges? How high up are you? Get a good mental

picture of what's outside, it may come in handy. It's important you know

how to OPEN your window, you may have to close it again.

Should you wake up to smoke in your room and the door is too hot to open

or the hallway is completely charged with smoke, don't panic. Many people

have defended themselves quite nicely in their room and so can you. One of

the first things you'll want to do is open the window to vent the smoke. I

hope you learned how to open it when you checked in. It could be dark and

smoking in the room. Those who don't will probably throw a chair through

the window. If there is smoke outside and you have no window to close, it

will enter your room and you will be trapped. The broken glass from the

window will cut like a surgeon's scalpel. At the Ramada Inn fire, an

airline captain on a layover threw a chair through the window and cut

himself seriously. Don't compound your problems. Besides, if you break out

your window with a chair, you could hit a fireman on the street below.

If there is fresh air outside, leave the window open, but keep an eye on

it. At this point, most people would stay at the window, waving

frantically, while their room continues to fill with smoke, if the fire

burns through. This procedure is not conducive to longevity. You must be

aggressive and fight back. Here are some things you can do in any order

you choose ... if the room phone works, let someone know you're in there.

Flip on the bathroom vent. Fill the bath with water. (Don't get into it -

it's for fire fighting. You'd be surprised how many people try to save

themselves by getting into a tub of water - that's how you cook lobsters

and crabs, so you know what happens!) Wet some sheets or towels, and stuff

the cracks of your door to keep out the smoke. With your ice-bucket, bail

the water from the bath onto the door to keep it cool. Feel the walls - if

they are hot, bail water onto them too. You can put your mattress up

against the door and block it in place with the dresser. Keep it wet -

keep everything wet. Who cares about the mess. A wet towel tied around

your nose and mouth is an effective filter if your fold it in a triangle

and put the corner in your mouth. If you swing a wet towel around the

room, it will help clear the smoke. If there is a fire outside the window,

pull down the curtains and move everything combustible away from the

window. Bail water all around the window. Use your imagination and you may

come up with some tricks of you own. The point is, there shouldn't be any

reason to panic - keep fighting until reinforcements arrive. It won't be

long.

ELEVATORS

There isn't an elevator made that can be used as a "safe" exit. In all

states, elevators by law, cannot be considered an Exit. They are

complicated devices with a mind of their own. The problem is people only

know one way out of a building - the way they came in, and if that was the

elevator, they are in trouble. Elevator shafts and machinery extends

through all floors of a building, and besides, with the shaft filling with

smoke, there are hundreds of other things that could go wrong and probably

will. Everyone tries to get on the elevator in an emergency. Fights break

out and people get seriously injured. Smoke, heat and fire do funny things

to elevator call buttons, controls and other complicated parts.

Case in point:

Hotel guests in a New Orleans hotel were called on their room phones and

notified of a fire on the upper floors. They were in no danger, but

asked to evacuate the hotel as a precaution. Five of the guests decided

to use the elevator. It was discovered later that the elevator only went

down about three floors and then for some reason started going up. It

did not stop until it reached the fire floor. The doors came open and

were held open by smoke obscuring the photo cell light beam. Besides the

five guests in the elevator who died of suffocation, firemen noticed

that every button had been pushed, probably in a frantic attempt to stop

the elevator.

Fires have killed many people, including firemen. Several New York firemen

recently used an elevator when responding to a fire up on the 20th floor.

They pushed 18, but the elevator went right on by the 18th floor. The

doors came open on the 20th floor to an inferno and remained open long

enough to kill all the firemen. The doors then closed and the elevator

returned to the lobby. Hand operated elevators are not exempt. Some

elevator operators have been beaten by people fighting over the controls.

If you have any idea that there might be smoke or fire in your hotel,

avoid the elevator like the plague.

JUMPING

It's important I say something about jumping because so many people do it.

Most are killed or injured in the process. I cannot tell you whether or

not you should jump. Every fire, although similar, is different. I can

tell you, however, what usually happens to "jumpers".

If you're on the 1st floor, you could just OPEN the window and climb out.

From the second floor you could probably make it with a sprained ankle,

but you must jump out far enough to clear the building. Many people hit

window sills and ledges on the way down, and they go into cartwheels. If

they don't land on their head and kill themselves, they're injured

seriously. If you're any higher than the 3rd, the chances are you won't

survive the fall. You would probably be better off fighting the fire.

Nearby buildings seem closer than they really are and many have died

trying to jump to a building that looked 5 feet away, but was actually 15

feet away.

Panic is what causes most people to jump. There was a fire in Brazil a few

years ago where 40 people jumped from windows and all 40 died. Ironically,

36 of those jumped after the fire was out. Many people have survived by

staying put whilst those around them jumped to their death. If you can

resist panic and think clearly, you can use your own best judgment.

CALLING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT

Believe it or not, most hotels will not call the Fire Department until

they verify whether or not there really is a fire and try to put it out

themselves. Should you call the reception to report a fire, they will

always send the bellhop, security guard, or anyone else that's not busy to

investigate. Hotels are very reluctant to "disturb" their guests and fire

engines in the streets are quite embarrassing and tend to draw crowds.

In the New Orleans hotel fire, records show that the Fire Department

received only one call, from a guest in one of the rooms. The desk had

been notified of fire 20 minutes earlier and had sent a security guard to

investigate. His body was later found on the 12th floor about 10 feet from

the elevator.

Should you want to report a fire or smell of smoke, ask the hotel operator

for an outside line for a local call. Call the Fire Department and tell

them your room number in case you need to be rescued. You need not feel

embarrassed, that's what we're here for. We would much rather come to a

small fire or smoking electrical problem that you smelled than be called

20 minutes later after 6 people have died. Don't let hotel "policy"

intimidate you into doing otherwise. The hotel may be a little upset with

you, but really ... who gives a damn. The Fire Department will be glad you

called: you may have saved many lives. Besides, it's a great way for us to

meet people!

Well, the rest is up to you. Only you can condition yourself to react in a

hotel emergency. You can be well prepared by developing the habits we've

talked about.

 

As a retired Firefighter with over 35 years service and someone who has taught evacuation procedures to School Principals and Teachers and worked with Hospitals and High-rise Building Management with their emergency evacuation plans, I agree with the above article.

[jaxcruiser23]

I just got back from this cruise Eurodam 11/8-11/15 and had the great experience of being woke up of lovely sirens going off in my ear where they so nicely placed the speakers inside of the head board my my wife and I's noggins. Honestly I think I almost pooted my bloomers LOL

 

scared the crap outta me not that I thought there was I fire I was dead to the world and that crap bamm right in my ear LOL

 

Captain said something along the lines I thought he said engine compartments and my wife is saying he said boiler room

[Cirtan1]

I too just returned from the Eurodam. The blogger's recollection of the Captain's message that morning are correct, almost verbatim as I can remember. There was quite a bit of time between the alarm and the Captain coming on to fill us all in on what was happening. I was dressed and in the corridor by the time anything was said. DW was on the phone to the front desk with no answer. An elderly gentlemen from the next cabin was in the corridor in his life jacket and was quite terrified. The Captain was quite reassuring in his reports over the next 15 minutes or so and his final message told us that everything was nearly back to normal and that there was no need for further updates. His calmness was very reassuring, although not too many of us got back to sleep that night.

[Gerd]

Dear all,

 

This board is really a treasure about everything….;)

 

I took the opportunity to copy the extensive article from VP into a word file and did print it.

Now my spouse and I are learning all about the message !!

 

 

Happy cruising to everybody

 

Anna & Gerd

 

 

 

 

 

Our marvelous cruises :

 

MS Ryndam – Wayfarer – March 1997

MS Noordam - Transatlantic Island Hook - April 2001

MS Volendam - Southern Caribbean - April 2002

MS Volendam - Westfarer Caribbean - April 2004

MS Prinsendam - Windmills & Waterford – September 2004

MS Westerdam - Western Caribbean - April 2005

MS Statendam - Hawaii Circle - September 2005

MS Rotterdam - Vikings and Czars – July 2006

MS Veendam - Southern Caribbean – March 2007

MS Volendam – Panama Canal – April 2008

 

116 days - 33'054 Nm

 

 

Future Cruise :

[Krazy Kruizers]

And on that topic: some passengers think it is inconvenient to have their electrical scooter inside their cabin, so they just park it in the corridor in front of their door. This seriously blocks the corridor and works like a cork when a large group of people need to pass by. Especially on hands and knees!

 

If you come across this on your next cruise(s), please contact the front office to notify them, so we can address it with the scooter's owner.

 

 

HOW TRUE!!

I have seen waiters trying to get by scooters in the hallway as they were wheeling large carts of food.

[Activated95b]

I was sent this a few years ago - it's worth reading. My own company (which spends over a billion dollars per year on business travel) has it posted on the internal travel website.

 

VP

------------------------

WARNING: HOTELS COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH...

 

by Retired Captain RH Kauffman, Los Angeles County Fire Department

 

To all my friends who travel, please read this and be safe.

Have you ever been in a hotel during a fire? It's a frightening

experience, and you should start thinking about it. For instance, how

would you have acted if you had been in one of these fires?

The Thomas Hotel, San Francisco, Ca 20 DEAD

The Gulf Hotel, Houston, Texas 54 DEAD

The La Salle Hotel, Chicago, Ill 61 DEAD

The Wincoff Hotel, Atlanta, Ca 119 DEAD

.

 

As part of my job I give 'foriegn travel breifings to company employees who travel overseas for any reason. Here is an abreviated list of safety tips I give them.

 

Always choose a room between the second and sixth floors. (First floor rooms are common burgulary targets and most fire department ladders will reach the sixth floor.)

 

If anybody claiming to be hotel staff wants your to open the door when you do not expect them - call the front desk to verify who they are and that they are doing there.

 

Have the maids leave the bathroom and closet doors open if they clean the room when you are not around. This way somebody cannot hide in them, then trap you in the room.

 

Avoid conversations with strangers in the lobby and other hotel common areas. Above all never tell anybody your room number unless absolutely necessary.

 

Use similar precautions with the name of your hotel when you are about the town.

 

Observe the taxi stands for a few minutes. If the taxis are not cycling rapidly through the stand pick a taxi at random instead of getting in the first one.

 

Observe the people around you. If for any reason you suspect you are being followed - immedeatly move to a secure public area, get in a taxi and leave.

 

If for any reason you think you were followed to your hotel - check out and move to another hotel ASAP.

 

Have all packages and messages held at the front desk for you to pick up.

 

 

If you are travekling to a country with a terrorism problem add the following precautions:

 

If you have a reserved room - make some excuse and ask for a different room on check in.

 

Never take a room that faces a street or parking lot. (This is the most common place for bombings.)

 

Keep the room curtians closed at all times (the heavy curtians will catch flying glass from an explosion.)

[Nonniroc]

He must of paid close attention at secretary school because he was able to type the captians statements perfectly, especially paying close attention to all those departments who were in charge ;)

 

"There's not need for concern, ladies and gentlemen, we've detected a fire in the engine room. No cause for concern, the ship's crew will be taking care of everything. Fire crews, emergency response teams, emergency elevator operators, traffic control teams, hotel manager (and others) all report to your stations, please."

 

And....

 

"Hello again, Ladies and Gentlemen, an update for you. We've detected a fire in our engine spaces, in fact, we have a fire in a boiler. Oddly enough, one of those places you'd rather expect some heat. Our fire teams are in place, and we are using an automatic fire suppression system. There's no need for alarm, and I'll keep you informed as the situation progresses."

 

How did the situation progress? ;)

 

Tom

 

We were aboard the Eurodam when the abrupt and frightening wake-up occurred. Yes the horns did blast 6 times, not 7 for the life boats..

 

And yes I have been aboard other HAL ships when there were fires.

 

What made this one so frightening was that the first announcement from the Captain stating that "All Crew members were to report to their emergency stations" . While this announcement was factual, it was not entirely reassuring. This gave the impression that once they were in place, we would be summoned to our life boat areas. We were on the Upper Promenade and I can tell you that at least half the stateroom passengers in our area were in the hall extremely concerned.

 

Only in the subsequent announcements did he reassure us.

 

It took about a 1/2 hour for the final announcement that all was under control. By that time it was difficult to get back to sleep, as most in our area had gotten dressed

 

I will be posting a review of this sailing this week.

[Marie321]

Last summer on the Oosterdam, we had six high pitched signals. We knew 7 meant head for lifeboats, so we were in a quandry as to what to do. Shortly thereafter, the captain said they were investigating a fire in the crews quarters. The captain said to "Wait." We began to make our way to our cabin to get our life jackets just in case. Shortly, the captain said a dryer had caught fire in the crews quarters area and they had it out.

 

Both my husband and myself take several different types of medication. Had we needed to get to lifeboats, our medicine was scattered throughout the cabin and it would have taken time to gather it up. Maybe time we didn't have.

 

We then saw a poster on these boards who suggested having very important items in a small bag that could be quickly grabbed on the way to lifeboats. Since then, we do this with medications and place them in the same area in a small bag where they could be grabbed quickly.

 

Thank you for posting the hotel information. A few years ago, I was in a hotel in Philadelphia. My roommate and I went out for a late dinner. When we returned, there were firetrucks everywhere around the hotel we were staying in. They quickly put out a fire. The next morning at breakfast, we met others from our group and asked what they had done during the fire. All replied, "What fire???" We heard an alarm and thought it was a malfunction. They had not even checked it out. When we told them we had stood on the street and watched firetrucks put out the fire, they were shocked and very scared. Never assume.

[Copper10-8]

Bottom line:

When alarms go off on the ship in the middle of the night - Wait for PA announcements!! If they want you with your life vests on to your muster station, they will tell you so!

That does not mean, ignore the whole thing and get back to dreamland. Just stand by for furher info - It will come!

Make sure you know how/where to grab your life vest, warm clothing. medication(s), and small valuables when awakened from a stupor in the middle of the night - Remember, the ship could be without power - Have a small flashlight with you!

Don't panic! Don't panic! Don't panic! - The crew will be working on the emergency - They train on it all the time! Follow their instructions and don't become a problem yourself!

[Cruzman]

Alarm sounded, Captain announced a possible fire in the engine room. Later (a few minutes), the Captain announced that everything was under control and everyone should go back to sleep. At a meeting later in the week, Captain Mercer explained that there was never a fire, but simply an over heated boiler that set off an alarm. Actually, that's the way it is supposed to work and I felt safer as a result.