clownishly How long do you have to escape from a fire in your home?
When people were asked this question in a recent survey, they answered in ways that surprised us. Many estimated they had more than 10 minutes to escape a home fire. The truth is, you may have much less time to escape.
A typical living room fire can threaten the entire house in just a few minutes, producing life-threatening conditions in upstairs bedrooms less than two minutes after the smoke alarm sounds. Your family needs to know how to get out at the first sign of a fire.
Don’t wait, plan your escape today!
Print out your own escape plan grid and have the whole family help with the planning. Or draw your own floor plan on a piece of paper.
Mark two ways out of every room and include windows on your plan. Every member of your household should be part of the planning. Pick a meeting place outside. Tell everyone to meet there after they’ve escaped. That way you can count heads and tell the fire department if anyone’s trapped inside.
Practice it!
Plans are great, but the only way to know if they work is to practice them. Hold a home fire drill. Getting out of your own home sounds easy, but your home can look very different if it’s full of smoke. Children in particular need to practice what to do. Have someone press the button on the smoke alarm as the signal for the drill to start.
Remember that a fire drill is not a race. Get out quickly, but carefully. Everyone should go to the meeting place. Make time to plan and practice your family’s great escape today!
Always Remember…
- First, get out!
- Call the Fire Department from a neighbour’s home – dial 911.
- Don’t go back into a burning building.
- If you think someone is trapped inside, tell the firefighters when they arrive.
- When a fire starts…you only have seconds to react, so plan your escape!