It's widely known that during a fire, we're accustomed to covering our mouth and nose with a damp cloth as we flee the scene. But does covering your mouth and nose with a damp cloth during a fire actually work?
A video featuring a Taipei fireman surnamed Cai has been going viral on social media recently, with the fireman saying, "Cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel, and you're dead for sure!"
Why would this fireman surnamed Cai say that? Could it be that the fire safety methods we've been taught all along have been wrong from the start?
The editor interviewed a seasoned fire department commander and fire prevention officer, Mr. Lang, who has extensive rescue experience and theoretical knowledge.
According to参谋Lang, experimental data confirms that damp towels are effective. Additionally, the more layers the towel is folded into, the better the smoke removal effect. However,参谋Lang also noted that as the number of layers increases and the moisture content rises, it also leads to increased air permeability resistance. Therefore, it is generally recommended to fold the towel into 8 layers and control the moisture content to be less than three times the towel's own weight when using a damp towel.
Not just words from Comrade Lang, but also news facts demonstrate: Wet towels are effective during fires.
On the evening of January 9th, a residential house opposite a gas station on Tongxin Road in Chenzhou City caught fire. The entire family of three was inside the house. In such an emergency situation, they managed to survive the critical 20-minute golden rescue time by using wet towels to cover their mouths for self-rescue, and were eventually rescued by firefighters who broke the window.
Therefore, based on the aforementioned evidence, it is clear that wet towels are effective for self-rescue in fires.
Moreover, the fire department stated that捂鼻逃生 using a damp cloth is not only included in the advanced fire science textbook "Basic Firefighting Skills (Practical)", but also serves as the guiding practice in Japan's national disaster prevention education videos. Therefore, its role is significant.
Have you, after reading this, still believed that using a damp cloth to cover your nose is ineffective?