How to get out of a burning building if there are no adults nearby.
It is both bitter and scary after the monstrous tragedy in Kemerovo, where 64 people died in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping center, 41 of them were children. It is bitter for the children who died, for their parents, who were unable to help them. And it is also very scary, because a fire could have happened in any other shopping center in any other city.
Renowned architecture critic Grigory Revzin called modern shopping centers a warehouse of gunpowder that could explode at any moment.
“Everyone is amazed at how it was possible to leave so many children without adults, why the parents left their children, etc.,” Revzin writes in his column. – But this is directly provided for by the format of the shopping center. The whole point is to create a stream of family visits, then separate the children and parents (animation rooms, cinemas, skating rinks, etc.) and send the parents a couple of hours to walk around the shopping area so that they can’t miss buying something. “
The architecture critic explains why only a few of us know where the emergency exits are in the shopping malls we visit.
“From the point of view of trade, it is important that the exits are out of sight, so that until you have passed the entire floor, you cannot get out – everything is designed to slow down the movement and increase the stay.”
In addition, emergency exits are often closed to protect stores from thieves. And in shopping centers they put a lot of decorations, temporary exhibitions in order to attract the attention of visitors every time. Decorations are often changed, so they are made of cheap materials, which means they burn perfectly. Add in tons of packaging, garbage, plastic that flare up in seconds.
“These are warehouses with gunpowder, in which people are like herring in a barrel,” Revzin says. “In order for people to be safe in such places, they must be prepared, trained, internally focused – as in a dangerous production.”
But we come to the mall to relax: watch a movie, go shopping. What concentration is there. Nobody thinks what to do if there is a fire.
There might not have been any victims in Kemerovo if the children’s section with cinemas was on the first floor of the building, and not on the fourth, as in Winter Cherry. But this problem is not only of the Kemerovo mall. There are shopping centers throughout the country, where the entertainment section is on the top floor. Apparently, so that parents who did not plan to go shopping, on the way to the playground, no, no, yes, they would look into one of the boutiques.
“This device itself – a shopping center – is incredibly dangerous,” says Grigory Revzin. “And it is being sold as a place of relaxation and recreation.”
Perhaps the words of an architectural critic will not scare us away from Sunday shopping, but they certainly will make us be more vigilant. To this end, the head of the Stop Threat security school, Liya Sharova, wrote instructions for parents, which must be given to their children.
1. Train your children and yourself to play “Find a way out”… We never think about how to leave the premises in the event of a fire. And this can be quickly and cheerfully made a habit. And while accustoming the child, you yourself will begin to pay attention to this. Therefore, for 2-3 weeks, coming to any room, we cheerfully and instantly watch where we would run in case of fire. You can check with the staff.
2. Described scarf… This is how we usually tell the first rule of leaving a burning or smoky room to the laughter of children. We rarely carry water with us, children almost never, and it is from the smoke that they die. We take any clothes: a scarf, a T-shirt, a hem of a skirt and write. If you are with a small child, you can use a baby diaper. We breathe through the described fabric. Urine filters both smoke and toxic substances much better than water. The main thing is to convince the child that it is not a shame to write on a thing. After all, it will save a life.
3. Coming out of the panicking crowd, we go only in the direction of movement, without stopping, even if relatives are left behind. You will meet after you go outside. We carefully bend around corners, pillars, any oncoming obstacles. To do this, we look from afar what lies ahead. Cross your arms over your chest with your elbows slightly forward – if you are squeezed, you will be able to breathe freely.
If dropped: no “grouping”. You have three seconds to get up at any cost. We cling with a stranglehold on the nearest legs, jeans, coats, and, like monkeys, climb a man. Perhaps he will not be happy about this and will even bang on the head, but you will have time to get up. Practice at home.
Absolutely all emergency exits should be easily unlocked from the inside and be freely accessible – no boxes, cabinets or other things that can obstruct the passage. Check the doors at work, at school, in the malls you visit often. Telegram has created a special bot @otkroydverbot – there you can send the addresses of locked emergency exits. All your messages will be sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
In addition, you can and should file a complaint with the fire inspectorate (contact information can be found on the website ). Having received the application, the department is obliged to arrange an unscheduled inspection.