Why You Should Have A Fire Escape Plan For Your Family

11/23/2020 (Permalink)

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Fail to plan , plan to fail. That saying can annoy some of us, especially if we prefer to live life in the moment. But when it comes to emergencies like fire, planning is non-negotiable—you need to know what to do ahead of time to keep everyone safe. That starts with having a fire escape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly throughout your home—within as little as two minutes after a smoke alarm detects it. A fire escape plan gives you and your family a life-saving strategy to follow in a fire emergency. These specific steps will help you get started:

Make a map of your home.

Create a “blueprint” of your home, then label all the doors, windows, and every room in your house. Plan at least two escape routes from every room—remember to account for family members’ disabilities and create alternative escape routes as necessary.

Determine where you’ll meet if there’s a fire in your home.

Designate a family meeting spot when a fire occurs. Since you could be separated from other family members during a fire, it’s important to regroup and get a headcount after escaping from your burning home.

Make sure everyone can call 9-1-1. 

No matter if you have young children, teach them as soon as they’ll understand to dial 9-1-1 when a fire happens. This is so critical, especially if no adults are home during a fire. 

Do an at-home fire drill.

Practice your fire escape plan by walking with your family from room to room. Talk through your escape instructions. If it’s easy and safe, practice escaping. Do your own fire drill at home by sounding off your fire alarm to get your family in the right mindset for leaving the house.

Don’t forget about STOP-DROP-ROLL.

Once you have your fire escape plan in place, make sure everyone in your family knows how to “stop, drop, and roll” if they catch fire. Also, train your family members to check the doors for heat to see if they should open them or not once the fire alarm sounds. It’s important, too, to test your smoke detectors monthly, and change the batteries one to two times per year. 

After a Fire, Rely on Us for Restoration

Should a fire happen at your home or business, dial 9-1-1 immediately. After the fire has been safely extinguished, SERVPRO of Southeast Milwaukee County is your source for fire damage repair and restoration. In addition to repairing and restoring anything damaged by heat and flames, our trained team can remove all the soot, ash, and smoke from the fire as well as deodorizes your property. Call 414-421-3500—we’re available any time, any day you need us.