It’s Fire Prevention Week from October 7 to October 13! If you haven’t created a fire escape plan for your family, now is the perfect time to do it! Even if you already have a plan, it’s important to look it over regularly to make sure you and your family know what to do when your fire alarm goes off.
Follow our guide below to help craft your own fire escape plan to keep your family safe during a house fire.
Include Everyone in the Planning
The most important part of a fire escape plan is to make sure everyone is included. Don’t just work on the plan and then try to show your family – it works much better when everyone is involved!
This becomes even more true when dealing with young children. Let them see the thought process behind escape routes and safety concerns. They’re the ones who really need direction during an emergency!
You might be surprised by the additional input your child can offer. Maybe you recommend a window for an escape route, but they don’t know how to unlock it or it’s too heavy for them to open. The more they participate, the more likely they are to remember if they ever need to act!
Create a Visual of Your Home
Whether you’re planning for yourself or the entire family, a visual aid is invaluable for determining the best escape routes in your home. They’re necessary for children, and helpful for adults to determine not just the ideal point of exit, but also secondary or tertiary points of escape.
A drawn-out escape plan can also be used as a refresher for the next time you go over an escape plan with your family. For children, they can even keep a copy with them in their room to ensure they have a reference. Fires are likely to induce panic – every bit of information helps keep your family safe!
Plan Multiple Escape Routes
The best escape routes are typically the most direct route from a room to the outside of your home. However, certain complications can make your fire escape plan require a few alternatives.
For starters, windows are always available – but outside of the first floor, they may not have a safe way for you to get to ground level! Or perhaps the quickest route out requires you to go through the kitchen, the place of origin for over 50 percent of house fires!
This is why having more than one route is necessary for your plan. Ideally, these routes should give you two different ways out from the room you’re in when your alarm goes off. If you must go through other rooms of your home, try to think of different paths through or ways to get outside from the next room over.
Aim for the least complicated route, especially when dealing with your child! The less they have to remember, the easier it will be for them.
Fire is extremely quick and unpredictable. It only takes a few minutes for an entire house to be engulfed in smoke or flames, so every second counts.
Designate a Meeting Spot
Every fire escape plan needs a designated meeting location. The hectic nature of a house fire and the panic it causes can make it hard to calm down after you get out. This panic will only be exacerbated if you wait for your family members to escape but can’t find them!
A singular location for everyone to meet helps you guarantee your family made it safely out of the house. When emergency crews arrive, they’ll want to know if everyone made it out safely. Without a meeting spot, they may enter your home and risk their lives to rescue someone who already made it out!
The ideal meeting spot should be a safe distance away from the house, but not so far that it takes more than 30 seconds or so to get to after escaping the home. The most important thing is it’s far enough away from the house to prevent smoke inhalation or risk of fire.
Tips for Fire Escape Plans & Fire Safety
Practice Your Plan
No fire escape plan is complete without a practice run. This is your opportunity to identify issues with your route or exit points. You may find a window sticks and won’t work as a way out. Or you may realize a particular room only has one truly safe way out.
These practice runs are as critical as the plan itself. You may not be home when a fire emergency happens. When your child is home alone after school, they need to be able to escape on their own! A practice run helps them remember.
Test Your Smoke Detectors
Modern homes are full of furniture and decorations that will ignite and spread fire quickly. Every second counts, and your smoke detectors are your early warning for a fire. If they’re not working, you could be in serious trouble!
Home Security Systems Protect You in a Fire
While most homes will come with existing smoke detectors, Habitec Security can integrate a state-of-the-art monitored fire detections system with your home security system for superior protection.
Contact Us Today to Secure Your Home!
Keep your home safe! If you’re considering a security system for your home or business, our security experts can design a system for your security needs and backed by award-winning, 24-hour local monitoring. Contact us today!
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