If your clothes or hair (or any body part) should catch on fire, what should you do?

The most effective immediate response to clothing or hair catching fire is to stop, drop, and roll. This method involves halting your movement to avoid fanning the flames, dropping to the ground to prevent the fire from spreading, and rolling back and forth to smother the flames. This technique uses the ground to create friction and can effectively extinguish the flames by cutting off their oxygen supply.

In contrast, running to get help can exacerbate the situation by spreading the fire further or increasing the risk of burns due to oxygenation. Yelling for assistance may alert others, but it does not directly address the immediate danger, allowing the fire to potentially grow. Using a fire extinguisher is generally suitable for controlling fires in certain situations, but it is not practical or effective when dealing with a fire directly on a person, as it could cause further harm or panic rather than offering quick relief from the burning sensation.