Create A Fire Escape Plan

8/6/2022 (Permalink)

Have An Escape Plan

Keeping your family safe if there is a fire in your home, requires working smoke alarms and having an escape plan. If a smoke alarm sounds due to a fire, you and your family have as little as two minutes to escape. Once a fire starts, it spreads very rapidly. Every second counts! Every home should have a fire safety plan in place and all family members must practice the plan until everyone can escape in less than two minutes. Follow the steps below to create a plan for your family.

1. Create an escape plan

Get all your family members together and walk through every room in your home, while talking about ways to escape. You should try to aim for two escape routes from every room if possible. Make a drawing of your home mapping out ways to exit. If you have small children, make sure they are paying attention and understand the escape plan. Never open a closed door until you touch it first, if it's hot find another way to escape. Have everyone practice dropping to their tummy and crawling, to reduce smoke inhalation. 

2. Pick a meeting place

Choose a place to meet when you are safely out of harms way. The meeting place should be far enough away from your home. Go over the chosen location with all family members. 

3. Practice 

It is not enough to have a fire safety plan and meeting place, you must also practice your plan as many times as it takes till everyone in your family can escape in less than two minutes. Practice leaving from different rooms, practice dropping to your stomach and practice testing to see if doors and door handles are hot. When you are safely outside and at your meeting place, call 911. Never go back inside! Practice this plan twice a year, you may want to practice more frequently if you have small children. 

4. Test smoke alarms

A fire safety plan will not work if your smoke detectors are not working. Every smoke detector in your home must be fully operational at all times. Make a habit of testing each smoke alarm once a month. 

We are available for you 24 hours a day, if you are in need of our services. 917-924-2260