Creating a Fire Evacuation Plan for Your Home | John Brewer | Burn Victim Assistance

Your ability to escape a fire depends on and advance warning. Fire can quickly spread through your home, and you only have a few minutes to get out if you have a working smoke alarm. Having a smoke alarm in every bedroom and outside every sleeping area is also vital to ensure that you and your family are protected. According to the National Fire Alarm Code, all smoke alarms should be interconnected.

Before you start working on a fire plan, ensure everyone in your household participates in creating the plan. You should walk through your home to inspect its possible escape routes. Having a floor plan of your house will help you mark two ways out of each room.

Before working on a fire plan, ensure all possible escape routes are clear. A clear door can help you open the windows and quickly get out of the house.

When planning on escaping from your home, make sure that everyone gets a safe distance away from the house. Do this by choosing an outside meeting place such as a mailbox, light post, or stop sign. You should also mark the location of this meeting point on your escape plan. If your street number is not visible from the road, you should paint it on the curb or add house numbers to ensure that emergency personnel can find you.

All your household members should have the fire department’s phone number memorized. This will allow them to call for help from their neighbors or a cellular phone.

If there are individuals with mobility limitations, such as infants or older adults, make sure that they are assigned someone to help them during a fire drill. You should also assign a backup person in case the designated emergency contact is unavailable during the incident.

If your home’s security features include bars on the windows, make sure they have emergency release devices that can be opened from inside. These devices won’t compromise your home’s security, but they can help you escape in case of an emergency.

Before visiting other people’s homes, make sure they have a fire escape plan. A plan can help ensure that everyone in your household is safe during an emergency.

Never go back inside a burning building. You should immediately notify the fire department dispatcher if an individual is missing. Firefighters have the necessary equipment and skills to perform rescues.

Make sure that you practice your home fire escape plan at least twice a year. You should also make arrangements for people with special needs.

You should always choose the safest route when escaping from your home. However, you should also be prepared to go under toxic smoke if necessary. During a fire drill, everyone should practice going under the smoke to get to their exit.

If you have items that block the windows and doors of your home, you might not be able to escape in case of a fire. A fire escape plan is also vital to ensure that everyone in your household is safe. To start, you should identify two escape routes that everyone can use. Ensure these are safe and have the necessary features to allow everyone to use them.

Originally published at https://johnbrewerlaw.org on September 20, 2022.