Advice
Check-in check list
Before I get settled, I check fire safety and plan my escape
According to the National Fire Protection Association, a hotel structure fire is reported every 55 seconds in the United States.
This is no surprise to me. I’ve been in six hotel “structure” fires.
These weren’t big fires, but they were real fires. Very real fires. There were alarms, sirens, fire trucks, firemen, fire hoses, smoke, flames, the whole shebang.
Consequently, hotel fire safety is for me—can you see this one coming?—a hot issue. Indeed, every time I check into a hotel, one of the first things I do is to make a plan to escape a fire. Every time. No exceptions. Every time.
Here’s what I do—every time. Before I hang up my clothes or plop down to relax, I familiarize myself with the locations of the fire exits nearest my room. These are generally shown on a map posted on the back of the room door or in a closet. I use the map to locate the two exits nearest my room.
Next I take my key and head out the door. I try to imagine how I would find my way to the nearest fire exit in the dark while crawling on my hands and knees. I count the doorways between me and the fire exit and note any obstacles that could get in my way.
When I reach the exit, I open the door. A locked door will surely be a death trap if a fire were to occur. (By the way, if the door is alarmed, I first notify the hotel security department of my intention to open the door. I found out the importance of this at the Continental Plaza Hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico, where I now know that the alarm system works quite well.) Then, without letting the door close behind me, possibly trapping me in the stairwell, I take a look inside to get an idea of its configuration and to confirm that the stairwell is free of obstacles that could block my escape.
On my way to or from my room, I find the nearby fire alarms and fire extinguishers or fire hoses. If there are none visible, I’ll call the front desk when I return to my room to ask their location. Then I’ll go verify their actual presence.
Because it’s possible that my path to the nearest fire escape may be blocked during an emergency, I map out a secondary escape route that would take me in the opposite direction as the route I just followed. Again, I note the locations of the fire alarms and extinguishers/hoses.
When I return to my room, I look out the window to see if it would be possible to jump without breaking my neck. In case I’d have to escape that way, I look for obstacles under my window.
I verify the operation of the smoke detector in my room. Typically, a small light on the smoke detector indicates its operation. If I’m unsure that it is working, I call the front desk for assistance.
I figure out how to turn off the fan that delivers air into my room. I find the location of both the entry- and return-air vents and make a mental note of how I could seal them if I were trapped in my room during a hotel fire. Then, because I’d need to let others know I was in my room, I make sure my cell phone works or that I can get an outside telephone connection—typically by pressing “8” or “9”—without relying on a hotel operator.
Finally, with an escape plan in place, now I relax.
Related Err Travel columns
Don't get burned -- How to survive a hotel fire
Fire! Fire! Fire! -- Forget about "evacuation management"
Hot hotels -- They asked about fire sprinklers, not lawn sprinklers
When the heat is on -- Do you have a plan?
You can call me Al -- Hotel guest recognition programs can be dangerous
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