Home Fire Escape Plan

Family members must know what to do in the event of a fire in their home. Unless a small fire can be easily controlled, it is recommended that fighting the fire be left to professional firefighters and that family members escape safely from the home.

A home escape plan must be created and practiced so that each person knows exactly what to do. It also is important to practice Exit Drills in the Home.

Most residential fires occur between 8 pm and 8 am. Deaths from residential fires occur in greater numbers between midnight and 4 am when most people are asleep. An average of 800 fires strike residential buildings each day in the United States. More than 6,500 persons die each year from fire – more than half of them children and senior citizens. The majority of these deaths are in home fires.

Regardless of the cause of the fire, a home may become filled with smoke. This is a very dangerous situation. Family members may be unable to see very well. The smoke and toxic gases may cause dizziness and disorientation. In the confusion, one can easily become lost or trapped in the home. Family members must understand that their safety depends upon quickly leaving the home. It has been proven that exit drills reduce the chance of panic and injury in fires. Trained and informed people have a much better chance of surviving fires in their homes.

Plan Ahead

1. The normal exit
2. The other exit through a door or a window

Plan an Escape Route     

Each member of the family should know how to get outside safely by at least two routes. Family members should practice opening their windows to become familiar with their operation. Jammed windows should be identified and repaired. If, during a fire, a window is jammed, it may be broken out with an object and a blanket or towel placed over the frame to cover shards of glass. It is much safer to open a window than it is to break the glass out.  Never put locks or bars on windows or doors that cannot be opened from the inside.

Realize the Danger of Smoke

Establish a Safe Meeting Place

A special meeting place should be established at a safe distance from the house. It could be a mailbox, the neighbor’s driveway, or a large tree in the yard. Whatever it is, it must be something that is stationary and won’t be moved (such as a car). This is where everyone meets in the event of a fire. It prevents family members from wandering around the neighborhood looking for one another, or worse, being tempted to re-enter the burning house for someone thought to be trapped inside. Once outside at the special meeting place, a person can be sent to a neighbor to call 911. If anyone is missing, give that information to the fire department immediately and tell them where the probable location of the missing person could be. Under no circumstances should anyone re-enter the burning building.

Remember, Plan Ahead!

Remember, the first step toward escaping a fire is to plan ahead. Practice a home fire escape plan throughout the year and be sure that if anything should change around the home, it is included in the home fire escape plan.

Many home fires are preventable. If you’re working on a story about a fire in your community, feel free to include NFPA’s key fire safety tips in your article:

• Watch your cooking
  Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
• Give space heaters space
  Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn. Turn off heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Smoke outside
  Ask smokers to smoke outside. Have sturdy, deep ashtrays for smokers.
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach
  Keep matches and lighters up high, out of the reach of children, preferably in a cabinet with a child lock.
• Inspect electrical cords
  Replace cords that are cracked, damaged, have broken plugs, or have loose connections.
• Be careful when using candles
  Keep candles at least one foot from anything that can burn. Blow out candles when you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Have a home fire escape plan
  Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year.
• Install smoke alarms
  Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Test smoke alarms
  Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace batteries once a year or when the alarm “chirps” to tell you the battery is low. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old.
• Install sprinklers
  If you are building or remodeling your home, install residential fire sprinklers. Sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive.

Source: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®)