Housing with two escape routes
After serious fires that caused great casualties in recent times, the awareness of fire prevention and fighting of the people of the capital has changed significantly. According to the reporter's records on September 17 in Phu Dien ward (Hanoi city), when building houses, many households have proactively designed two escape routes in the front and back of individual houses.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tu - a construction worker with 25 years of experience, directly constructing a high-rise house in Phu Dien ward - shared: "Previously, people often only hired us to build solid houses with sturdy doors to prevent theft. But now, they have requested to build more escape routes when fires occur. Some houses open large windows, some make rear doors, or attach an escape iron ladder outside.
According to Mr. Tu, the biggest difficulty is that many townhouses are narrow and close together, so arranging an escape route is not easy. "We have to survey carefully, find a suitable location, both to ensure safety and not to break the structure of the house. Sometimes just a small door through to the back alley can save the whole family.
Currently, the house I am constructing is in a favorable location, designed with both front and rear exits. The project is in the stage of electricity, water and wall painting, expected to be completed and handed over to the homeowner in more than 2 months," said Mr. Tu.
As a construction worker with Mr. Tu, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Duc confided: "Working these escape projects is hard but fun. Every time I finish, I think that if an incident occurs, the place I build can save a few lives. Thinking like that should be done very enthusiastically, even if it is just a side dish.
Fire prevention starts from each family
Mr. Dang Minh Nhut - an employee of a company specializing in consulting, designing, constructing and installing fire prevention and fighting systems in Ho Chi Minh City - commented: "In construction standards, high-rise buildings are required to have an escape route. The fact that people voluntarily opened additional exits is very welcome. However, it is necessary to ensure a sturdy structure, use fireproof doors, and iron ladders with suitable loads. In particular, the escape route must be easy to open, absolutely not locked."
In addition, Mr. Nhut noted: "We should not consider the escape route as just a sidewalk. People need to combine the installation of fire extinguishers, smoke alarm equipment, and fire alarm bells according to the model of a fire prevention and fighting safety inter-family group, while training escape skills for family members.
An important skill is to know how to take advantage of rescue equipment such as escape wire and wire ladder. Currently, many families are not interested in equipping these tools, while the price is not too high. Therefore, it is impossible to put all responsibility on the authorities. People also need to proactively prepare necessary equipment such as fire extinguishers, toxic masks, flashlights, escape ropes, etc. to promptly respond when a fire occurs," said Mr. Nhut.
