Get out: the fire alarm goes off
You live on the 14th floor of a tower. The fire alarm starts ringing. Smoke is spreading in the corridor and the clock is running while you decide. What do you do?
When the alarm goes off in your tower
Six habits that buy you time. Practise them before you ever need them.
Don't wait to see smoke. Take your phone and keys, tell everyone at home, and leave. Things can be replaced.
Use the back of your hand on the door and the handle. If it's warm, or smoke is coming under it, keep it shut and use another way, or stay in and call 997.
A lift can stop on a smoky floor or lose power. Use the stairs and go down, not up.
Smoke and hot air rise. The cleanest air is near the floor. Keep one hand on the wall so you don't lose your way.
A closed door slows smoke and fire. Never prop stairwell fire doors open.
Go to your building's assembly point and call 997. Tell the firefighters if anyone may still be inside. Never go back in.
If you can't get out
If the door is warm or the corridor is full of smoke, staying behind a closed door is often the safer choice.
- Keep the door shut. Press wet towels or clothes along the gaps.
- Call 997. Say your building, floor and flat number.
- Go to a window or balcony, and close the room door behind you.
- Wave something light-coloured, or use your phone's torch, so firefighters can see you.
- Don't hide in a wardrobe or bathroom. Rescuers need to find you fast.
Before it ever happens
Today, walk from your door to each stairwell. Count the doors on the way, so you can find them by touch if it's hard to see.
Bikes, boxes and shoes in corridors and stairwells slow everyone down. Report blocked exits or propped-open fire doors to your building management.
In the UAE, the Ministry of Interior's Hassantuk system links fire alarms in buildings and homes directly to Civil Defence operations rooms. It helps, but it doesn't replace you calling 997.
Sources: NFPA (US National Fire Protection Association), "Escape planning" and high-rise apartment fire safety tips, including "you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds"; U.S. Fire Administration home fire safety guidance (smoke causes most fire deaths; get low and go under the smoke; feel the door with the back of your hand); UAE Ministry of Interior and Civil Defence guidance, and the Hassantuk smart fire alarm programme. The game is a simplified illustration: smoke speed and timings are not exact, and every fire is different. Always follow your building's fire plan and instructions from Civil Defence. In the UAE call 997 (Civil Defence), 998 (ambulance) or 999 (police).