Prepare a Fire Escape Plan to Ensure You and Your Family Survive a Deadly House Fire

Do you have an escape plan in the event of fire in the home?

I’ve got a young family and all four of my children being 10 or under, so as you might imagine safety in the home is important to me.

A few nights ago the battery in the smoke alarm failed and I didn’t have a replacement so we ended up spending the night without an alarm upstairs. I didn’t sleep well!

All too often I read or hear about house fires where some family members survive and others perish in the blaze. It’s heart wrenching to imagine what the survivors go through.

It’s important to give this some thought ahead of time and make a fire escape plan for you and for the kids, so that you can all get out alive and uninjured.

Following my sleepless night I exchanged emails with Sally who was kind enough to offer the following fire safety tips:

Fire Safety In the Home

No one wants to think about what they would do if their home caught on fire. However, it’s important to have an escape plan in the case of a fire. Here are eight things that you and your family can do to be prepared.

1. Name Responsibilities – Make sure each family member knows exactly what he/she would do in case of a fire. Siblings that sleep in the same room could be in charge of waking each other up, while parents could be responsible for calling the fire department. Take into account family members who need help, such as the very young or those with disabilities. Plan to work together as a team to ensure everyone’s safety.

2. Make an Escape Route – Identify two ways to escape from every room in the home. For houses with multiple stories, you may want to consider purchasing fire escape ladders and make sure all family members know how to use them.

3. Discuss Safety Issues – Make sure all family members know how to keep themselves safe in a fire. Some tips include staying low to the ground to avoid breathing in smoke, feeling a closed door before opening it to check for heat, and staying out of the house after escape. You should also discuss what to do in case both exits are blocked: stuff towels under doors, signal for help with a flashlight or bright cloth, and call the fire department if there is a telephone in the room.

4. Choose Two Meeting Places – An important part of a fire escape route is having two meeting places. One should be right outside the home, along with another further away in case it is not safe to be near the home. The second location could be at a known landmark or in front of a home in your neighborhood that isn’t right next to yours.

5. Designate an Emergency Contact – After calling the fire department, you should also call someone close to you to let them know what happened. Let this person know in advance that they are your emergency contact.

6. Plan for the Worst – In the case that your home is extremely damaged or destroyed, you should plan for where you would go until you could find a new home. This may be with a family member or close friend, a hotel, or even an evacuation shelter if there is no other option. If you have a pet, you should make sure your temporary living conditions are pet friendly or get the contact information for the closest animal shelter.

7. Check Smoke Detectors/Fire Extinguishers – Make sure that all smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are in working order. Smoke detectors should be installed on every floor and checked monthly. Fire extinguishers should also be checked periodically and family members should know how to use them properly.

8. Practice – You should practice evacuating your home at least twice a year. You may want to practice at different times of the day or night and in different weather conditions, as well as trying different escape routes from the house.

This guest article was submitted by Sally Davison. She owns the site Fire Science Degree. Sally is an experienced EMT and loves to write various articles about fire safety.

Image courtesy of Ada Be