Reducing height as much as possible and increasing soft landing materials is the key to surviving when trapped in a high-rise fire.
In the fire of a 27-story apartment building in London, UK, witnesses reported that a man jumped from the top floor while holding a mattress after desperately shouting for help. However, survival experts suggest that this is not a recommended method for surviving a high-rise fire.
Free fall experiments from a height equivalent to a 25-story building.
Christopher Richards, an expert in Physics and survival skills, believes that the chances of survival for the man who jumped from the 27th floor while holding a mattress are very slim, if not nonexistent, because the mattress creates more air resistance than the human body, according to Survival Skills.
When hugging the mattress and jumping down, the individual will likely flip over due to the air resistance against the mattress, resulting in a tragic outcome where the victim often lands before the mattress. In the fortunate scenario where the mattress lands first, its thickness of several tens of centimeters cannot sufficiently mitigate the impact force on the body when falling from such a great height.
According to Richards, in the event of a high-rise fire with no other escape options, you can jump to save yourself, but you must follow the principle of reducing height as much as possible and have enough soft materials on the ground to absorb the impact of the fall.
First and foremost, you should quickly put on a jacket and as many layers of clothing as possible to act as a cushion to reduce shock to vital parts of your body. Look around your apartment for large ropes, or you could use the fire hose from fire boxes in the hallway, tying one end to a table leg and pushing the table close to the window. You can hold onto this rope to climb down to lower floors, repeating the process to reduce height as much as possible.
Richards does not recommend jumping freely downwards.
When the fire spreads rapidly, making it impossible to follow the above steps and you must jump urgently, look for areas with soft ground below, such as flower beds at the base of the building. Gather blankets, mattresses, pillows, and clothes to throw down into this area to establish a landing zone and create a cushion to lessen the impact on your body when landing.
Richards does not encourage those trapped to jump freely downwards. He advises you to try to wear shoes, put on gloves, and make your way to the window, extending your legs out to climb outside while holding tightly to the window ledge, ensuring there are no sharp obstacles protruding below.
At this point, your body should be pressed against the building wall, knees bent like a spring to absorb the shock. Gradually release your grip to let your hands act as brakes until you can no longer hold on and begin to fall. During this time, try to use your shoes and gloves to create friction against the wall to convert as much falling energy into heat as possible, but be cautious not to let your body bounce too far away.
The 27-story tower on fire in London. (Photo: Guardian).
As soon as you feel your toes touch the soft landing materials below, bend your legs as much as possible, using your feet, knees, and hips as the main shock absorbers, similar to a cat’s movements when it falls.
At this moment, you may roll on the ground to disperse the force of the impact, but use both hands to protect your head, which is the most critical part. This fall will be painful and may cause broken bones, but at least your chances of survival will significantly increase.
The most important thing when jumping from a burning high-rise building is to find every possible way to descend to lower floors to reduce the speed of the fall and the rebound force from the ground on your body. If you jump from the 27th floor, all the above measures are almost futile.
“These actions may sound complex, but if you calculate quickly and remain calm, you will be surprised at what you can accomplish in such a short time,” Richards emphasizes.
