Plan Your Escape
When a fire occurs, there is no time to plan your escape and panic can lead to significant injury or even death. Sit down with your family today and make a step-by-step plan for evacuating the house during a fire event.·
- Draw a floor plan of your home, mark two ways out of every room, especially bedrooms.
- Agree on a meeting place outside your home where everyone will gather in order to count heads and be able to inform the Fire Department if anyone is trapped inside the burning home.
- Practice your household's escape plan on a semi-annual basis.
- Conduct a fire drill in your home by blocking access to some exits and practise using alternate escape routes. Homeowners with two-story homes must have an escape from second story windows ensuring a safe route to reach the ground.
Getting Out
Test doors before opening them. While kneeling or crouching at the door, reach up as high as you can, and with the back of your hand, touch the door, the knob, and the crack between the door and its frame. If the door is warm use another escape route. A cool door means to proceed with caution.
When leaving the home crawl low on your hands and knees so your head is no more than two feet above the floor. Smoke contains deadly gases which rise with the heat;·cleaner air will be closest to the floor.·
Once Out Stay Out
If all family members are accounted for do not go back in the house to try to save personal property or pets. The heat and smoke of a fire are overpowering and may quickly consume the home which will put you in greater danger of becoming trapped. Firefighters have the training, experience, and protective equipment needed to enter burning buildings. If family or pets are trapped, be sure to notify the Fire Department as firefighters are the most qualified to perform·rescue operations.
