FIRE. FIRE. FIRE.

How horrible these words must sound.

However, I never heard them.

I was already unconscious when the fire trucks arrived.

“Fire fire fire!” it may be someone shouting the warning at the top of their lungs. It can be an electrical alarm system that is activated by a high decibel tone. It may be the siren of a fire truck racing down the street.

Where there is fire, there is smoke. “Smoke inhalation” is also called “carbon monoxide poisoning,” and that’s what happened to me.

There are five possible outcomes of being in a fire:

1) You leave unscathed.

2) You burn.

3) You get carbon monoxide poisoning.

4) You get carbon monoxide poisoning and burn yourself.

5) You die.

I fall into the third category. I did not burn. I was saved. It was a medical miracle: I was told that the level of carbon monoxide measured in my system was enough to kill someone my age and body weight. Alive, but in a sense they took my life, because it left me “disabled” with a TBI. This has irrevocably changed.

A general rule of thumb is that you only have about 90 seconds (depending on body weight) to get out of a burning building before smoke engulfs you and you lose consciousness. Carbon monoxide lulls you into a false sense of comfort. It’s like a drug; it makes you sleepier, it numbs you to what is happening.

Fires usually break out when you’re awake. However, most fatal fires happen when you are asleep at home, in bed, at night. Ninety seconds is not a long time to act. That is why many people never wake up.

Some people are afraid of suffering from being burned alive. You may be relieved to know that when people are found dead in a fire, they usually died in their sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning and then burned. They did not feel the pain of being burned.

A good fire safety plan can save your life and the lives of your loved ones. Part of the plan is to prevent the fire from happening by taking steps like having an electrician check your house for electrical shorts. Another part of the plan is for the scenario where a fire has occurred.

You have to be alert and awake if you want to survive. Make sure an alarm wakes you up if the fire occurs while you are sleeping. If you’re already awake, you still need instant notification that a fire is brewing.

Again, you have about ninety seconds before the carbon monoxide overwhelms you. This is why the type and location of fire detection equipment you have is critical.

The best thing you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your business is to consult with an expert who will determine the appropriate units for your specific home or building layout.

There are different types of alarm units. For example, some detect heat, some detect smoke, some detect carbon monoxide, and some detect radon.

An expert is needed because there is a science to unit placement. For example, carbon monoxide detectors must be placed at certain heights because carbon monoxide is lighter than air and rises.

If you are asleep when the alarm goes off, you may get up to get out of bed, inhale more carbon monoxide, and even pass out. That’s why you should roll out of bed, drop to the floor, and crawl to stay crouched and breathe better air.

Once you hear the alarm, the carbon monoxide may have already disoriented you, especially if you were sleeping soundly. That’s why you have to know what to do without thinking about it.

In addition to a good alarm kit, it’s important to have an exit plan that everyone in your family or business has practiced together. This is called EDITH, or “home exit drills.” You can consult your local Fire Department for more information.

My own experience of being trapped in a fire has made me passionate about fire safety awareness. I hope this article inspires you to take action and be prepared.