Plan Your Escape
During a fire, there's no time for planning. Sit down with your family and plan for escaping a fire.
- Draw a floor plan of your home and mark down two ways to exit from every room, especially sleeping areas - discuss the escape routes with every member in your home
- Agree on a meeting place outside your home where everyone will gather after escaping to wait for the fire department - this allows for you to know that everyone got out - advise the fire department if anyone is trapped inside the burning building
- Practice your escape plan at least twice a year - have a fire drill in your home - appoint someone to monitor and have everyone participate - get out quickly, but be careful
- Make your exit drill realistic - pretend that a few exits are blocked off by fire and practice alternative routes - pretend the lights are out and that a few of your escape routes are filled with smoke
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 in the household should know how to use them.
If you live in a two-story house and must escape from the second-story window, be sure there is a safe way to reach the ground. Make special arrangements for children, older adults and persons with disabilities. People who have difficulty moving should have a phone in their sleeping area and if possible should sleep on the ground floor.
Test doors before opening them. Kneel or crouch at the door, reach up as high as you can and touch the door, the knob and the space between the door and its frame with the back of your hand. If the door is hot, use another escape route. If the door is cool, open it with caution.
If you are trapped, close all doors between you and the fire. Stuff the cracks around the doors to keep out smoke. Wait at a window and signal for help with a light-colored cloth or a flashlight. If there’s a phone in the room, call 911 and tell them exactly where you are.
Get Out Fast
In case of fire, don’t stop for anything. Do not try to rescue possessions or pets. Go directly to your meeting place and then call 911 from a neighbor’s phone. Every member of your household should know how to call for help.
Crawl low under smoke. Smoke contains deadly gases and heat rises. During a fire, cleaner air will be near the floor. If you encounter smoke when using your primary exit route, use your alternate escape plan. If you must exit through smoke, crawl on your hands and knees keeping your head 12 to 24 inches above the floor.
Once You Are Out - Stay Out
Once you are out of your house don’t go back for any reason. If people are trapped, the firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them. The heat and smoke of a fire are overwhelming. Firefighters have the training, experience and protective equipment needed to enter a burning building.