Home fire escape plans can save lives!
According to the latest NFPA research, 2,565 people died in 2009 in home fires – that’s roughly seven people every day. Being alerted to a fire and knowing what to do to escape from one are extremely important, yet only 23% of households have planned and practiced a home fire escape plan.
Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Northwest Fire District suggests you celebrate National Fire Prevention Week 2011, October 9-15, by making and practicing a home escape plan with your family.
• Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors.
• Make sure that you have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home.
• Everyone in the household must understand the escape plan. When you walk through your plan, check to make sure the escape routes are clear and doors and windows can be opened easily.
• Choose an outside meeting place (i.e. neighbor’s house, a light post, mailbox) a safe distance in front of your home where everyone can meet after they’ve escaped.
• Go outside to see if your street number is clearly visible from the road. If not, paint it on the curb or install house numbers to ensure that responding emergency personnel can find your home.
• If there are infants, older adults or family members with mobility limitations make sure that someone is assigned to assist them in the fire drill and in the event of an emergency.
• If windows or doors in your home have security bars, make sure that the bars have quick-release mechanisms inside so that they can be opened immediately in an emergency.
• Be fully prepared for a real fire: when a smoke alarm sounds, get out immediately.
• Once you’re out, stay out! Under no circumstances should you ever go back into a burning building. If someone is missing, inform the dispatcher when you call. Firefighters have the skills and equipment to perform rescues.
Practice your home fire escape plan twice a year, making the drill as realistic as possible. Allow children to master fire escape planning and practice before holding a fire drill at night when they are sleeping. The objective is to practice, not to frighten, so telling children there will be a drill before they go to bed can be as effective as a surprise drill. It’s important to determine whether children and others can readily waken to the sound of the smoke alarm. If they do not, make sure that someone is assigned to wake them up as part of the drill and in a real emergency situation.
If your home has two floors, every family member (including children) must be able to escape from the second floor rooms. Escape ladders can be placed in or near windows to provide an additional escape route. Practice setting up the ladder from a first floor window to make sure you can do it correctly and quickly. Children should only practice with a grown-up, and only from a first-story window. Store the ladder near the window, in an easily accessible location. You don’t want to have to search for it during a fire.
If you’re building a new home, installing home sprinklers will provide excellent protection for your family and property. When activated by fire, generally only one ot two sprinkler heads emit water, containing the fire while it is small. Any resulting water damage will be far less than an unchecked fire or even response from fire department. Modern home sprinklers are unobtrusive and can blend into any decor.
For additional safety information, contact Northwest Fire/Rescue Life Safety Services office at 887-1010.