If fire and smoke engulf your home in the middle of the night, a plan can make the difference between deadly panic and swift, precise action that saves lives. Studies have shown that fire drills can make big differences in chances of survival, but you need to develop a plan first.
Here's a 3-step guide to creating a home fire escape plan that works.
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Step 1: Start Planning and Preparing
Before you put a plan together, make sure your home is set up for safety. Install and regularly test smoke detectors so that family members will be alerted in case of fire. Hold a family meeting and discuss an escape plan that works for everyone. As part of the planning, visit each room in the home and look for escape routes. Each bedroom should have a conventional exit as well as an alternate one, such as a window. Ensure that windows can be opened and are never blocked by bars or outside locks. Show all family members how to open windows and, if necessary, break them and escape using blankets or towels to cover the jagged glass at the edges.
Step 2: Designate a Meeting Spot
Set a place for all family members to meet after escaping the burning home. Whether at a neighbor's mailbox or a tree in the yard next door, any spot will do as long as it is a fair distance from the home and permanently marked by some object. When all family members meet at this spot, there will be no doubts that everybody is safely out of the home and no reason for anybody to re-enter in a rescue attempt. After everyone is safe, a family member should call 911 from a cell phone or a neighbor's home phone. If someone is thought to still be in the home, notify the fire department, but don't let family members re-enter the burning home.
Step 3: Rehearse Your Plan
After your plan is complete, have all family members practice the plan. This will make the planned actions more natural in an emergency and will help identify any weak parts of the plan. With each fire drill, have everybody begin as they would if a fire started in the middle of the night. For example, have everyone lay in bed, then hit the test button on the smoke alarm. Have each family member take turns alerting everyone else about the fire. Next, everyone should exit the home, crawling low to avoid smoke inhalation and meeting at the location discussed before.
In apartment buildings, posted fire escape plans should be reviewed. In houses or buildings with upper floors, the possibility of exiting upper-floor windows should be discussed. Jumping from upper floors should never be performed, but hanging and dropping from the second story may cause only fractures, a better outcome than dying inside. Elevators should be strictly avoided in case of fire because the heat can cause them to malfunction. Apartment buildings should be thoroughly explored so that all exits are familiar.
Planning is an essential first step in surviving fire. By preparing everyone and holding regular practice drills, you and your family will be more likely to survive a fire.
About Author: Written by Ashley Madison, of Essential Fire Safety, a writer of fire safety procedures for families and businesses. EFS also supplies commercial fire safety goods, such as the fire hose, necessary for businesses and organizations.