Is Your Family Prepared in Case of a Fire?

Making a Fire Evacuation Plan as a Family

Fire safety has never been more critical. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, the national death count due to fires was 3,062 in just a four-year span. Fire safety education starts at home, with the parents, and it is up to you to teach your family how to prevent fires and stay safe if one were to occur.

You can keep your children prepared for a fire by educating them on the proper fire safety practices and procedures, such as changing the batteries in the smoke detector. One thing that can make a big difference is developing a family escape plan for your home.

Making a Family Escape Plan

Making sure that your children know just where to go in case of a fire is extremely important. Whether you have a one-story or a two-story home, developing an escape plan as a family can help save lives.

1. Walk through your home and inspect all the possible escape routes and exits. Which escape route is the fastest? Where is the closest exit to each room?
2. Make sure that all the exits to your home are easily accessible and clear of clutter for a quick escape.
3. Decide on a meeting spot. Will you all meet at a neighbor’s house? Or a mailbox? Make sure this meeting spot is far enough away from your home so that you can safely remain there until emergency personnel arrive.
4. Have every member of your family memorize the emergency phone number for the fire department.
5. If one of your family members is immobile or has limited mobility, make sure there is a designated individual in the family to help them escape.
6. Double check that each member of the family understands the fire escape plan and maybe even hold your very own family fire drill.

For more information about fire safety and fire safety tips and tricks, call Columbia Fire today!