Imagine you got back from work. You have your supper and say your prayers to the almighty to be with your family. You put your kids to bed, and finally, you can get some shut-eye for yourself after the whole day. Little did you expect that you would be waking up suddenly with the sound of fire alarm buzzing. You feel so frightened that you don’t know what to do next. You are paralyzed with the fear that you can’t think straight at that moment!
It is the exact reason we recommend you to prepare a fire escape plan and get all your family members to learn about it.
A fire hazard will leave you less than a minute to escape!
Can you imagine what will happen if you are not prepared at all?
If you don’t know how to do one, here is our detailed guide on how to make a fire escape plan for your home.
What Is A Fire Escape Plan?
A fire escape plan is a sort of evacuation plan for you and your family in case there is a fire hazard that happens in your house. It includes making an elaborate plan of all possible fire exits that you can use if a fire happens and also keeping other safety measures ready.
There might never be a fire in your house. But according to some recent statistics, it is estimated that around 3,00,000 house in America that faces a house fire, annually! If you think about it, the probability ratio is not too insignificant for you to ignore it! So a fire escape plan is your contingency plan for keeping your family safe.
Also, only making a plan is not enough; you need to keep the children informed about it as well. A fire escape plan can potentially save your life.
How To Make A Fire Escape Plan For Your Home?
Draw Your Home Floor Plan
When making a fire escape plan, the first thing you need to do is to draw the whole home plan so that you have a better idea of your house. It will help you to get a better idea of your home and where all the possible exits are. Because when there is a fire, you won’t have time to find where it is in your house. It is even more critical if you have children living with you.
Make sure to include all of your family member when reviewing the planning of your fire escape and home floor. Give them a thorough explanation of what it is and why it is so important to remember the home floor plan. Identify all the exits and show it to the children as well.
Identify the exits for each room
Next, you need to find at least two escape routes for each room when you create a fire safety plan for your home. Why two? It is quite essential to find at least one or possibly two alternative escape routes for each room. Because often what happens is that the fire is spreading too quickly, you won’t be able to escape via the doors. In that case, you need to find an alternative space, and the window is the most suitable space for that.
Get a collapsible ladder
You may cover all the exit routes, but if you happen to live in a high-rise or two-storied house, you need to have a collapsible ladder ready. Also, make sure that children are used to it because you don’t have the time to teach it to them when it is emergency. Keep the ladder close to the window so that you have instant access to it.
Pick a meeting place
It is often overlooked, but picking a meeting place is one of the most critical steps in your fire escape plan. Because if your child doesn’t know where to find you after escaping from the fire, it can be even more stressful for them than the house fire itself. So to avoid the confusion, pick a meeting place beforehand and let the child know about it.
Don’t forget to practice
Last but not the least, only making a plan won’t work if you don’t train yourself and your children how to respond to it. Make sure to practice with all the family members at least once or, if possible, twice a year.
Frequently Asked questions
How can you escape a house from the fire?
The first thing is to be calm and remember all the exit points you have in your house. In any fire safety plan for your home, the doors are considered to be the primary exit point. But if the doors are blocked for some reason, you have to use the windows to escape quickly before the fire spreads.
But most importantly, you have to be well aware of the exit routes for each of your rooms. Identifying the nearest exit route will help you escape and get your family to safety from a house fire much more quickly.
Read: How to survive a forest fire in a vehicle?
What should a fire safety plan include?
A fire escape plan should include all your exit points, which is a detailed record of two exits for each room, a meeting place for all your family members once you are out. It should also include the assigned roles or tasks for each of your family members when there is an emergency and what is expected from them as well.
Establishing a clear set of instructions will help you make a quick decision.
How often should you practice your fire escape plans?
To keep your family members well trained into the necessary fire drills and key points of your fire evacuation plan like identifying the fire exit routes, you should practice it at least once a year.
How long do you have to escape a home fire?
You won’t have more than a few minutes before you can go out and escape from the house fire. The reason you have so little time to escape the fire is all the plastic materials used in various house appliances. It causes the fire to spread much quicker than you can imagine.
Final Words…
It is better to be prepared when it comes to fire hazards. It doesn’t take that much time to make either. But importantly, you need to keep practicing it because when you find yourself suddenly among such a situation, your brain won’t work properly. But if you train yourself and make some plans ready, your instinct will kick in almost immediately. Those few seconds can make a huge difference.
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