I read with great sadness that a mother and her daughter perished in a fire in Melaka. According to The Star, the fire started in the kitchen. There was a huge explosion, and lots of smoke. The poor neighbour could not help, despite trying hard to. I do feel sorry for the neighbour too - imagine that helplessness feeling.
Again, I wish to recommend to fellow Malaysians - please install a smoke alarm in your home. The first sign of fire has to be smoke. Yes, it is troublesome - you need to install it, test it and change the batteries yearly. It's a price worth paying for - to protect our loved ones. It is not a 100% sure way, but just like seat belts, it has been proven to be very effective.
Again, I wish to recommend to fellow Malaysians - please install a smoke alarm in your home. The first sign of fire has to be smoke. Yes, it is troublesome - you need to install it, test it and change the batteries yearly. It's a price worth paying for - to protect our loved ones. It is not a 100% sure way, but just like seat belts, it has been proven to be very effective.
Make sure rooms are equipped with emergency escape openings on the grills. Most modern window grills will have it. Unfortunately, older grills won't have it.
If you must break a window grill, use a car jack - the tool to lift up your car to change the tires. Typically, car jacks can lift up to 600kg of force. Use it to break the window grills. I believe most grills will break, or at least bend sufficiently, for escape.
Lastly - please don't be a hero or an asshole by illegally setting up barriers. This is the last paragraph of The Star's report:
If your housing area has not been designed for gated, please do not gate it. It is of no help. To prevent house break-ins, burglar alarm and guards are the way to go. Again - more troublesome but very effective and safer.
Between safety and security - always remember, safety comes first. Here, the victims were stumped by window grills and an illegal barrier. In the minds of Malaysia, safety is definitely not the first.
If you must break a window grill, use a car jack - the tool to lift up your car to change the tires. Typically, car jacks can lift up to 600kg of force. Use it to break the window grills. I believe most grills will break, or at least bend sufficiently, for escape.
Lastly - please don't be a hero or an asshole by illegally setting up barriers. This is the last paragraph of The Star's report:
A Federal Territory Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said they received a distress call at around 6.11am.
“However, we could not pass the barrier at the unmanned security checkpoint of the residential area.
“Precious minutes were lost as we had to cut off the chains to proceed to the burning house,” he said, adding that by the time the firemen reached the place, about 80% of the house was burnt and the roof had collapsed.
The bodies of the victims have been sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a post-mortem.
Between safety and security - always remember, safety comes first. Here, the victims were stumped by window grills and an illegal barrier. In the minds of Malaysia, safety is definitely not the first.
2 comments:
er..just a minor correction, it happened in KL not Melaka :)
Yeah... you are right. Thanks for pointing it out! :)
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