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 What is a fire escape
plan? It's your strategy for a safe exit from your home during a fire emergency.
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What ingredients make up an
effective escape plan? A careful escape plan begins with careful preparation, proper placement of
smoke detectors and regular Exit
Drills In The Home (E.D.I.T.H.) practice. Hopefully you will
never have a fire in your home. However, should a fire occur, your safety and
that of your family will depend on calm, rational actions of the occupants.
Exit drills in the home and a carefully designed escape plan can be the key to
a safe escape.
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How do I put together a fire
escape plan?
Advanced planning will ensure that you are ready for any fire emergency and can
provide you and your loved ones with peace of mind. To design your own fire
escape plan, sketch the floor plan of your home on a piece of paper. Indicate
on the plan all doors, windows and other avenues of escape from each room in
your home. Draw arrows to indicate the normal exits which would be your primary
escape route. With an alternate color, draw arrows to indicate a secondary exit
from each room in the home.
Choose a location outside the home where family members should meet once they
have safely escaped. A neighbor's front yard or sidewalk may be an ideal
meeting place.
Call 911
to report the fire.
If you need help in designing your plan or if you would like to have your plan
reviewed, contact your local fire department for assistance. After completion
of the floor plan, sit down with your family to to discuss these important
points with them:
- Location of smoke detectors. The
number of detectors you need, and their location, depends upon the layout of
your home. There should be a smoke detector located near each of the sleeping
areas. It is also a good idea to have at least one detector on each level of
your home.
- Reporting a Fire. Everyone should
know the location of telephones in the home and where to find a telephone
outside of the home. It is very important that children also know the
911 phone number in order to
report a fire or other emergency incidents to authorities.
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Now that we have our plan, what's
next? Your fire escape plan may look great on paper, but does it really work? Regular
exit drills in the home will allow you to test the plan and make adjustments as
may be needed. When practicing your exit drills in the home, remember to use
alternate escape routes as well. Children should be closely supervised during
drills in the home and no one should take unnecessary chances.
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One of our family members has
special needs. How do we best include them in the plan?
Some people face greater risks during a fire emergency as they may have special
needs. This would include individuals who are mentally or physically
handicapped. Persons with special needs should sleep in a bedroom near someone
who can help in the event of an emergency. A physically handicapped person may
require a sleeping area on the ground floor. Designing a special escape plan
will depend on the abilities of the person.
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Exit Drills In The
Home can help people to prepare for an emergency. Most home
fires begin between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. This is a time when
most people are least prepared. In the middle of the night, fire can be a
disaster if you and your family are not familiar with how to escape during an
emergency.
So, to protect yourself and your family, remember these tips:
- Prepare a fire escape plan.
- Install and maintain smoke detectors.
- Practice Exit Drills In The Home regularly.
- Examine your home for fire hazards and take steps to prevent a fire before
it occurs.
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