How to Practice Fire Safety in Shanghai [科普|在上海，这些消防安全知识需必备]
Fire safety is no joke,especially in a city that lacks fire escapes and alarms in residentialbuildings. Teaching your kids fire safety could save their lives.
No matter what country you live in, fire safety and awareness is particularly important. In China, where standards of safety and equipment are not meeting the highest of standards, this is an even bigger concern. While in the West, new tenants may not need to worry about fire escapes because city regulations require them, your family should be aware of such facilities in your home and how to deal with an emergency.
According to the Shanghai Fire department, there were 4, 573 fires in 2010 alone. One of the most memorable and devastating fires in Shanghai took place that same year, where 53 people were killed in a high-rise residential building in Jing’an.
New York Times investigators found that sprinkler systems are not mandatory in residential buildings in Shanghai, where a majority of the city’s 20 million people reside. According to a 2011 Decree of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, fire safety regulations were improved and public buildings over a certain size must install fire safety equipment. However, in residential buildings, alarm devices, emergency broadcasts and fire control devices are subject to the proprietor’s decision and not required, although “it is encouraged to install the self-contained fire detection alarm in the household of residential buildings.”
An advocate for fire safety in Shanghai, Gail Brekelmans lost her daughter Nina in a devastating house fire in Washington, DC last year. “We came back to Shanghai with a new awareness [after the accident] and realized there were no smoke detectors in our apartment complex. I brought it up to other residents in the building and they hadn’t noticed either. We are so used to smoke detectors being there that we don’t always look for them. I think it’s so important that people take action and for a few RMB they can [buy a smoke detector], check for escape routes, or do whatever it takes [to be prepared].”
Tips for Safety
1. Make sure fire alarms are installed in every room of your home. This is easy to do on your own and fire alarms can be found on Baopals or we suggest bringing them from your home country if you are due for a visit soon. They are easy to install and are battery operated.
2. Create a fire escape plan with your kids. Talk as a family for the best routes out of your home in case of a fire.
3. If there’s a fire, get out and stay out. Electronics and personal items are all replaceable.
4. If you are on a high floor, order a fire ladder online and keep it in an easily accessible place in your home near a window.
5. Check your electrical cords and outlets. Extension cords should be used as a temporary solution and not as a permanent electrical outlet.
To view more useful tips and survival guides online, click 'read more' at the bottom.
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无论在哪里居住，消防安全意识是不容忽视的一点。在中国，许多地方的安全配备尚未达到最高标准，而这意味着更大的隐患。而在西方，住户们虽然不用担心住所防火梯因为这个是城市管理部门要求的配备，但需要掌握的是在紧急状况下如何使用这些救生设备。
据上海消防部门提供数据，2010年市内发生火灾供4573起，其中包括那起至今仍令人印象深刻的静安区居民楼大型火灾，共至53人死亡的。
《纽约时报》调查员发现，上海目前拥有2千万居民，但并未强制每所居民楼都安装自动灭火装置。根据《2011上海市人民政府法令》，消防安全条例已得到完善，并要求超过一定人口居住的公共建筑内必须安装消防设备。居民楼内防火报警器、紧急通知和灭火设备的安装并非强制的。尽管法令写明“建议每户室内安装火灾报警器”，但安装的主动权仍留给业主。
作为上海消防安全的倡议者之一，Gail Brekelmans华盛顿的家去年也遭受了火灾，而她的女儿Nina也在这场灾难中失去了生命。“[事故之后]我们对于火灾的防范有了更高的警惕，并且意识到我们小区公寓内没有安装烟雾探测器。当我和邻居们说起的时候，他们也没有意识到这个问题。之前出于惯性，我们都以为探测器应该装了，所以并没有留心。我觉得大家应该都引起注意并采取行动，只需出一点钱就可以[买到一份安全保障]。留心一下公寓的安全出口，或者采取一些其他的必要措施[以防万一]。”
建议安全措施：
1. 确保室内每个房间都安装了火警报警器。这是最简单方便的一项措施，自己即可完成。报警器可以在Baopals购置或者从自己国家带些来上海。安装也很容易，放入电池即可启用。
2. 和孩子一起为全家拟定一个逃生方案。
3. 如果真的发生火灾，逃生为第一要务。所有个人物资和电子设备都是可以再购置的。
4. 在高层的住户可以考虑从网上购置一个逃生梯，并把它放在离家里窗户附近的位置。
5. 时常检查电线和插座。接线板可偶尔使用，但不宜作为常用的插座使用。
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