Fire Safety Tips: Your Escape Plan

Planning ahead, rehearsing, thinking, and acting clearly are keys to surviving a fire. How prepared are you? You should be able to answer “yes” to the following statements.

The family has an escape plan and an alternate escape plan.
Escape routes and plans are rehearsed periodically.
The escape plan includes choosing a place safely outside the house where the family can meet to be sure everyone got out safely.
At least two exits from each part of the house are established.
The fire department number is posted on every phone, if you don’t have 911 service in your area.

Safety Tips

Establish advanced family planning for escape. It is an important partner with smoke detectors and it will prepare you for a fire emergency. Include small children as a part of the discussion and rehearsal. It is especially important to make sure that they understand that they must escape; they can’t hide from fire under a bed or in a closet.

Your life and that of your family can be saved by foresight, planning, discussing and rehearsal. Safety is no accident!