Family Fire Escape Plan

10/6/2021 (Permalink)

Take all the necessary steps to prepare your family for a potential fire. Minutes of preparation now can save a life when it matters most.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds.

To make the most of what little time you have, be proactive and establish a fire escape plan.  Having a plan in place and practicing that plan will ensure everyone knows where to go when disaster strikes.

As a family, walk through your home and look at all possible exits, doors and windows.  Create a map of your home, so everyone can visually see two ways out of every room, a primary and secondary evacuation route.

As you develop your family escape plan, consider the following steps, provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):

• Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside every sleeping area on every level of the home.
• Walk through your plans with the family, making sure everyone can access the exits easily.
• Set an outside meeting point for the family once they've escaped.
• Once you're out, stay out and wait for help to arrive, do not go back into the burning structure.

Once you have a plan in place make sure all your fire safety supplies are in place and up to date.   Smoke detectors need to be replaced every 10 years, also replace the batteries in your smoke detectors  every six months.  Fire extinguishers need to be replaced every 12 years.   Make sure you have fire extinguishers in the necessary areas of your home, the kitchen, utility rooms, garage, etc.

If your home has two floors, an escape ladder is a necessity for the safety of your family.  Practice setting up the ladder from a first-floor window, so everyone knows how to do it safely.  Escape ladders can be placed near the windows on the second floor, providing additional escape options. You don't want to be searching for it during a fire.

Take all the necessary steps to prepare your family for a potential fire.  Minutes of preparation now can save a life when it matters most.

*Restoration Newsline Vol 32, Iss 10