People
can survive fires in their homes if they are alerted to the fire
and get out quickly and stay out!
How
to Act Smart and Survive…
Install
smoke detectors on every level and in each sleeping area of your
home, including the basement. Remember to keep them in working
order! Batteries should be tested once a month and replaced twice
a year, at the begining and end of Daylight Savings Time. Develop
an escape plan of your house and practice it often with every
member of your household. Even consider installing an automatic
fire sprinkler system in your home.
1. Plan Your Escape Today! Once a fire has started, there
is NO time to plan how to get out. Sit down with your family TODAY
and make a step-by-step plan for escaping a fire.
2. Draw a floor plan (birds-eye-view) of you home with clearly
marked escape routes of each room. Indicate all doors and windows,
as well as stairways, porches and porch roofs. Mark two ways out
of every room, especially sleeping areas.
3. Establish a central meeting place outside your home. After
escaping a fire, immediately find the meeting place and wait for
the fire department to arrive. This meeting place allows a count
of everyone in the household, which could then inform the fire
department if anyone is missing or trapped inside the burning
house. Never go back into a burning house for any reason; let
trained fire fighters do their job!
4. Practice, Practice, Practice your escape plan often! Appoint
a "fire chief" (typically father, mother, grandparent,
etc.) to hold 'realistic' fire drills in the home and have everyone
participate. Speed is vital, so get out quickly and carefully.
Pretend some exits are blocked by fire and practice alternative
escape routes.
-
Test
doors before opening them! While kneeling or crouching at
the door feel the crack between the door and its frame and
then reach up as high as you can and touch the door with the
back of your hand. If you feel any warmth at all, do not open the door and use alternate escape route. If the door
feels cool, wedge your foot so you can slightly open the door
with caution. Note: As a precaution, sleep with bedroom doors
closed. It helps to hold back heat and smoke.
-
As you exit the home, remain low to the ground on your hands
and knees, crawling low under the smoke. Smoke contains deadly
gases and heat rises; therefore, cleaner air will be near
the floor.
-
If you are trapped, close all doors between you and the fire.
Stuff cracks around the doors to keep smoke out. Wait at window
and signal for help. If there is a phone in the room, call
911 and report exactly where you are.
5. Be Prepared! Make sure everyone in the household can unlock
all doors and windows quickly, even in the dark. Windows or doors
with security bars need to be equipped with quick-release devices,
and everyone, including small children, should know how to use
them.
FIRE
PREVENTION IS YOUR BEST FIRE PROTECTION!
Be careful when smoking and when using matches, gas appliances,
electrical devices/outlets. Avoid misuses of electrical appliances
and outlets. Have heating equipment cleaned and checked for repairs
regularly. You CAN prevent fires and protect your loved ones by
remembering that…
SMOKE DETECTORS SAVE LIVES!!
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