Your Safety: Stop, Drop and
Roll!
When a person's
clothing catches on fire, action must be instinctive and
immediate. There is no time to think.
The one thing you should never do is run.
To minimize a burn injury when your clothes
catch fire, STOP, DROP and ROLL.
Burns are among the most painful of injuries and the third
leading cause of unintentional death in the United States.
The hands, groin, face and lungs are at particular risk
because they are delicate structures and easily injured. The
healing process is slow and painful, resulting in enormous
personal suffering.
Certain types of clothing are less flammable
and resist flames more than other types of clothing. Heavier
clothing and fabrics with a tight knit weave burn more
slowly compared with loose knit clothing. Fabrics with a
loose fit or a fluffy pile will ignite more readily than
tight-fitting, dense fabric clothing. Synthetic fibers, such
as nylon, once ignited, melt and burn causing severe burns.
Natural fibers, such as cotton and wool, tend to burn more
slowly than synthetic fibers. However, fibers that combine
both synthetic and natural fibers may be of greater hazard
than either fabric alone. Curtains and draperies can be
sprayed with flame retardants to reduce their rate of
burning. However, these chemicals should not be applied to
clothing.
The principles of STOP,
DROP and ROLL are
simple:
-
Stop, do not run, if your clothes catch
on fire.
-
Drop to the floor in a prone position.
-
Cover your face with your hands to
protect it from the flames.
-
Roll over and over to smother the fire.
Don't stop until the flames have been extinguished.
If you are near
someone whose clothing catches on fire, be sure to stop them
from running and make them STOP,
DROP and ROLL.
