A mother’s love for her children knows no bounds and this was shown clearly in footage of a recent fire that broke out in China.
In the video recording, you can clearly see the mum dangling her three-year-old toddler just outside the window along with her nine-year-old son, as billows of thick black smoke threaten to engulf them.
A witness said that the mum began throwing blankets and quilts to the crowd below, screaming for help. The crowd quickly grabbed as many blankets and quilts as they could to quickly make a make-shift padded area to break the fall.
When it was ready they urged the mum to drop her children down to safety.
“Drop them! Drop them!”
With the raging fire behind them and nowhere to go, the desperate mum first got her nine-year-old son to jump down from the 5th floor apartment. Screams were heard and hearts raced, but the boys landed safely down below.
Then the mum picked up her three-year-old daughter, dangling her head first before letting go. More screams were heard as the toddler flipped onto her back and barely missed the air-conditioning compressor to land safely down below.
The mum must have mastered the last of her strength to haul her toddler over because right after letting her toddler go, she passed out on the windowsill.
It was reported that although the mum managed to save her children, she was unable to save herself. Her daughter suffered a broken leg and will need surgery while her son escaped unscathed. Both were taken to the hospital and are now in stable condition. Sadly, their mum was eventually declared dead by doctors.
RIP brave mum, you fought a good fight and you will always be your children’s guardian angel.
Apartment Fire Safety Checklist, Especially If You Have Young Children
The three most important details in an apartment fire safety checklist are the three Ps:
-
Prepare – Reduce the risk of fires in your home by eliminating hazards.
-
Practice – Practice a home fire evacuation plan and general fire safety practices.
-
Prevent– The Unthinkable.
Prepare
- Install a smoke alarm in your home.
- Install a smoke alarm outside every sleeping area.
- Replace smoke alarms after 10 years and be sure to test your smoke alarms at least twice a year. You should also change the batteries every six months, to ensure proper functioning.
- Don’t overload electric outlets, extension cords or wall sockets.
- Don’t leave burning candles unattended.
- Hide all matches and lighters out of reach of young children.
- Have a working fire extinguisher in your home and know how to use it.
- If you own a clothes dryer, don’t let the lint build-up.
- Throw away old electrical appliances.
Practice
Be sure to have a fire escape plan that you and your kids can practice regularly. This should be available in every apartment fire safety checklist, but in the event that there isn’t any, you and your family can create one of your own. Make sure your children know where all the escape routes are so that they too can navigate their way out of the place safely and quickly. Practice, practice, practice.
Teach your children basic fire safety in the event of a fire:
-
Instruct them to use the Stop, Drop and Roll technique to put out the fire on their clothes.
-
Crawl through rooms and hallways to avoid smoke inhalation.
-
Touch doors before opening. A hot door means the fire is right outside, and they should not open it.
-
Never re-enter the building for any reason once safely outside.
Prevent
In a home fire, the two most dangerous things are heat and smoke. Inhaling hot air can burn the lungs, and smoke inhalation can cause lung damage and even asphyxiation. In most cases, victims are three times more likely to die from asphyxiation than burns, and if there are poisonous gases present, this can also lead to death.
Always remember that heavy smoke and poisonous gases accumulate first near the ceiling so teach young children to crouch low or crawl through rooms and hallways to reduce the exposure.
Always hold your baby under your body with one arm if you’re trying to get out. Your body will act as a shield should debris and things start falling on top of you. This also ensures that your infant is as low to the ground as possible to avoid smoke and gas inhalation.
If the fire has taken over all exit routes in your apartment fire safety checklist, stay where you are. Cover cracks and doors with a wet cloth to keep out the smoke and gas as much as possible.
Use flashlights to alert rescue crews to your location, by having your children lying on the bed while pointing the flashlight towards the window. Firefighters are trained to look next to a child’s bed first upon entering the room. Teach this to your child so that even if they are trapped alone, the chances of them being found would be much higher.
Sources: New Strait Times, Safety
