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Critical
Emergencies
Someone
is down
Emergency situations in rooming houses are common. Dealing with an
emergency situation can be difficult because often there are other
factors to be considered. Drug, alcohol and mental health issues
can make things more complicated. In one rooming house the problem
of having one person fall down the stairs and lying in a semi
conscious state, a second person having a panic attack and four
people “out of it” but trying to assist, resulted in complete
chaos.
Taking
Control
Taking control of such a situation is not as hard as it seems as
long as you are cool but firm in your resolve to control the
situation; especially if no one else has a clue what is happening
or what to do.
In this
case the person who took control, first in a firm controlled voice
yelled, “What’s happening?”, to get everybodys’ attention. Having a
small first-aid kit in one hand also helped because it showed that
someone had some idea of how to deal with the situation.
Dial
000
The patient was talking and did not think an ambulance was
necessary. Never believe someone in that situation; especially if
they have fallen down the stairs. Ring for an ambulance straight
away by dialling “000” and ask for the ambulance. Remember you do
not need money to ring “000”; even from a mobile phone. In our
example someone said they had already rung the ambulance but, could
not remember whether he had given the address of the rooming house.
Another telephone call confirmed he had not. It is not uncommon for
people in panic to describe the situation then hang up forgetting
to give the address.
If you are
not sure whether to ring; then ring. It is better to be safe than
sorry.
A First
Aid Kit
A first aid kit is a handy tool and most chemist shops stock a good
range. A small kit can be purchased for about $25 and can also be
carried in a back pack. It might be worth while asking your housing
worker to assist.
CPR
Some Cardio Pulmonary Rescusitation (CPR) courses have been run for
rooming house residents living in the City of Port Phillip. More
first aid training has been requested for rooming house residents
including training on site. CPR is used when a person’s heart beat
and breathing cannot be detected.
 Fire
Most rooming houses in the City of Port Phillip have adequate fire
protection equipment. Office of Housing rooming houses had fire
protection equipment and the City of Port Phillip has assisted
private rooming houses with the installation of adequate fire
protection equipment.
What is
lacking are proper fire emergency evacuation procedures and
training in the proper use of fire extinguishers and hose reels.
The Office of Housing staff members, who are supposed look after
fire protection in rooming houses, only seem to want to install
more smoke detectors.
If your
kitchen does not have fire blankets in the kitchen area then ask
your landlord or housing worker to install them. A fat fire on a
stove is more easily dealt with using a fire blanket than a fire
extinguisher. A hose reel played on to a fat fire will cause more
damage.
If you
think you have problems or concerns about fire issues in either a
private or public rooming house contact the Metropolitan Fire
Brigade. Firefighters from your local fire station may also do a
“walk” through your rooming house to familiarise themselves with
the layout of your rooming house in case firefighters have to
navigate the inside of the building at night with little
lighting.
Killer
Smoke
Smoke kills more people than fire in a residential building. In a
rooming house environment there is a good chance a person will fall
asleep and let a cigarette fall onto bedding. If the window is
closed the bedding will smolder but no fire will be
apparent.
All
rooming houses should have smoke detectors fitted. Office of
Housing rooming houses have both smoke detectors and automatic
sprinkler systems. Automatic sprinkler systems have a small glass
bulb that shatters when the temperature of the room reaches a
certain point, sounds an alarm, sprays water on to the fire and
alerts the Fire Brigade.
Smoke
detectors detect smoke, sound an alarm but, are not connected to a
Fire Station. Residents themselves must decide whether or not to
call the Fire Brigade. Remember, a person who has gone to bed after
mixing medication, alcohol and drugs will fall into a very deep
sleep. It is these people who are at most risk. The smoke may
smother the person and he or she will die in their sleep. If there
is any concern ring the “000” and ask for the Fire Brigade. It is
better to be safe than sorry.
Special
care must be taken when operating a toaster. A knock at the door
can cause a few moments distraction away from the toasting. Burning
toast can quickly fill a room and set off smoke
detectors.
Landlords
Beware
When researching, we were alerted by several rooming house
residents, of landlords issuing “Breach of Duty” notices if the
Fire Brigade is called and there is no fire. The practice is
illegal and can only lead to injury and loss of life. If you or
anyone else has been issued with a “Breach of Duty” notice you
should immediately seek legal advice.
Your
Own Plan
Rooming houses that do not have evacuation procedures place the
resident in a position where you have to work out your own plan. It
may involve some of your house fellow residents. Even if your
rooming house has an evacuation plan there maybe some situations
where residents will possibly have to use their own
initiative.
The fire
brigade will take approximately eight minutes to arrive after a
call. Those minutes may seem a long time. During these minutes it
is important to establish if everyone has made it out of the
building. This may be difficult in some of the bigger rooming
houses. Older people and people with particular medical issues may
need additional help. It is important that nobody is forgotten.
Even if you are not sure of somebody’s whereabouts you should let
the fire officers know that you are not sure they were home or
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