Introduction
With the recent fierce fire in a high rise in the Bronx, New York, fire specialists acknowledged that it was the deadliest fire that has occurred in the last thirty years. It had many reeling due to the incident having claimed seventeen lives, including eight children. Despite the building being fireproof and containing a working fire alarm system, it was not smokeproof. Hence, all it took was a chimney effect brought about by one open door, leaving many victims of the fire. Firefighters identified that all the deceased persons succumbed to smoke inhalation and that smoke is the leading cause of death in any fire incident (Tan and Moinuddin 233).
The deadly fire prompted a new emphasis on full inspection of New York and New Jersey high rises. Fire inspectors and personnel educate tenants in high-rise residential that fire safety is paramount. They should not be afraid to speak up when they get note of the doors not automatically latching when closed, and neither should they panic if there is a fire in the building and not in their apartments (“Operation 7: Save a Life”). All they ought to do in such an event is to crack a window open and shelter in their apartments, or in case of an evacuation, ensure the doors latch when they close to avoid smoke getting past them.
Danger Posed by Electric Equipment
An electric setting is believed to be part of the future, including electric cars, bikes, scooters, and the like. However, as it has come to light, some of this equipment do possess genuine and life-threatening dangers. The danger posed is caused by explosions of lithium-ion batteries, which make up significant parts of the e-bikes and scooters, hence bringing about fires (Zhong et al. 5186). Fire intensities brought forth by the explosions of the batteries have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic. The best ways to avoid being fire victims of the exploded batteries are for the owners of the equipment to realize the dangers posed by the electric mobiles they use, get charging cords and batteries from the original equipment manufacturers, and also for them to avoid charging the equipment indoors, nor charge them unattended. With any signs of the battery being damaged, it is advisable to replace them immediately since they pose a danger of starting a fire by exploding whether or not they are plugged in (“Operation 7: Save a Life”). Finally, having an escape plan is vital whenever a fire breaks out in one’s residence.
Critical Role of the Red Cross at the Moment of Disaster
The Red Cross’s mission remains to alleviate suffering from those affected by disasters through support from volunteers, donors, and well-wishers. Caseworkers tend to be selfless and work in a dedicated manner to assist victims through the aftermath of the disasters they face. A vital example is where they offer to provide a free smoke alarm and set the residents up for free services that could save them (“Operation 7: Save a Life”). The process is done by installing combo detectors in one’s residence with a smoke alarm in every room. All the resident needs to do is test the alarms monthly and change removable batteries twice a year to ensure they are working. Providing a few techniques for behaving when a fire arises is amongst the many ways they try to keep people aware and vigilant of the dangers of fire.
Conclusion
The impact brought about by the trained K-9 task force accelerates the chances of identifying the accelerants in any fire investigation. The dogs pinpoint an area of origin through their sense of smell, since they have a good sense of smell compared to humans. Their success rate is at an all-time high of 97% accuracy. Their response is attributed to their intense training, amounting to 300 hours, and then daily training as they are re-certified annually (“Operation 7: Save a Life”). It is essential to keep in mind the basic measures provided by specialists to save lives and be fire safe.
Works Cited
“Operation 7: Save a Life.” WABC-TV, uploaded by ABC7NY, 2022. Web.
Tan, Samson, and Khalid Moinuddin. “Systematic Review of Human and Organizational Risks for Probabilistic Risk Analysis in High-Rise Buildings.” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 188, 2019, pp. 233–250. Web.
Zhong, Zhaohao, et al. “Risk Factors for Road-Traffic Injuries Associated with E-Bike: Case-Control and Case-Crossover Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 9, 2022, p. 5186. Web.