It’s the middle of the night. Your spouse and kids are asleep in their bedrooms but something just woke you up. Then you realize that noise is the piercing wail of a smoke detector somewhere in the house…
Don’t let this moment be the first time you have thought about an escape plan! Sit down with your family and draw out a map showing everyone escaping from their bedrooms, going to a meet-up point and then calling 911.
Everyone should walk through each person’s part of the escape plan. Make sure that Billy (in this example) can open the window, has a way to climb out and get to the ground safely. Please refer to Ways to Prepare for a House Fire further down this page for more escape considerations.
Going through everyone’s escape procedure together means that someone may see a faster way out or spot potential problems. Then periodically run a practice fire drills with the family.
A hand-drawn map allows you to make sure that everyone knows where to go in case of a fire. Insure that everyone knows exactly where to meet up. If you only say “Meet in front of the neighbor’s house…”, the kids could standing in the neighbor’s doorway hidden by on-lookers, meanwhile you are looking for them in front of the garage.
So what happens once everyone is at the meetup point? When the fire department arrives, they will want to know if everyone is out of the house. Let’s say that mom and dad aren’t at the meetup in our example, Billy and Suzie can tell the firefighters where the bedroom window that they should have escaped through is located. This can save crucial minutes of time for the firefighters to conduct a search for the missing persons.
Due to the heavy smoke and heat, firefighters often end up on their hands and knees when searching a structure. Even with breathing gear and turncoats, it’s extremely dangerous and time consuming. When they know precisely where the victim should be located, it will mean a faster and safer extraction is possible.
Have shoes or hard-bottomed slippers by everyone’s bed. Barefoot in the street is no fun. Grandpa TJ: For those of you into 80’s action movies, remember Nakatomi Plaza.
Have your cellular phone, keys and wallet next to your bed. Grab them as you escape.
Escape first! Call 911 after you are safe from the fire. Don’t waste time while still inside.
Make sure that everyone has a safe way to get out: fire ladders or escape ropes should be in every upstairs bedroom. Jumping from windows is risky at best.
Have some emergency blankets or spare jackets in the car to keep everyone warm after getting everyone out of the house. They are most likely still in their pajamas.
As long as it is safe to do so, get your car away from the structure as soon as possible. Don’t try to start your car though – the last thing you want is to have gas fumes anywhere near a fire. Just get some help and push it away by hand. Grandpa TJ: I watched as firefighter’s quick actions saved a neighbor’s home, which could have easily been lost, when a fire destroyed the attached garage. But the family also lost their car because it was parked in the driveway just feet from the garage. All that would have been needed was to put it in neutral and let it roll down the inclined driveway to the street. But by the time anyone there thought of that – it was too late. The firefighters wouldn’t allow anyone that close to the fire. One of my neighbors said that he argued with them but they said sorry, there was no way to save the car. They had insurance but the car was an unnecessary loss.
Avoid opening doors during a fire – there could be lots of smoke and heat on the other side. If you have to go that way, first feel the door with the back of your hand at eye level. If it’s hot to the touch, keep the door closed and pack a towel or blanket around the cracks to keep the smoke out. Find another way to escape.
Unless you have the right training and equipment, the chances of putting out a fire larger than a wastebasket are slim. Don’t fight a losing battle, get everyone out and call 911!
Grandpa TJ: If the Christmas tree is on fire, there is no way a hand-held fire extinguisher will put it out. Get everyone out first and then call 911 to get firefighters on the way. But if you have an extinguisher (or baking soda) handy, you should be able to put out something like a stove-top, grease fire before it threatens your whole house. Have the family evacuate the house and call 911 while you try to put it out. However, if the fire gets any bigger – don’t stay there… get out and join your family at the meet up point!