Home Fire Escape Plan

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.

Here are some basic tips to help you set up your escape plan.

1.  It's important that everyone know the correct routes to take during a fire.  Drawing a floor plan, showing all windows and doors can be helpful.   Identify two exits or escape routes from each room, especially bedrooms.

2.  Discuss procedures with your family. Crawl low in smoke.  Plan an outside meeting place away from the house. Discuss why you should never go back inside a burning house.

3.  Practice your Home Escape Plan Starting in Bedrooms, test the door to see if it is warm.   Practice opening the door slowly and carefully to check for smoke or fire blocking an exit. Make sure windows will open and that each family member knows how to open windows and screens or exit from an upstairs bedroom. Practice crawling low in smoke. Once outside, go to your planned meeting place.  Decide who will notify the fire department.

Most residential fires occur between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Deaths from residential fires occur in greater numbers between midnight and 4 a.m. 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 be 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 chances of panic and injury in fires and that trained and informed people have a much better chance to survive fires in their home.