The Smart & Safe Guide to Home Fire Escape

This article takes you through the smart and safe way to get out of a house fire quickly and with every one together.

The USFA (US Fire Administration) reports that 4,000 American die each year in fires and 20,000 are injured, most often by failed escapes plans. The information in this article will help your family to create a fail-proof escape plan that will keep you out the stats.

It is important to keep in mind that time is your greatest enemy. It takes only seconds for a small flame to become a full-fledged fire and only minutes for a house to fill with smoke. The most important way to plan for a fire escape is to practice, practice, practice. By practicing your escape route you can learned to shave off vital seconds that you would need to get out of the house. Practicing also conditions your body's response to the situation so that when you are in the emergency situation, you are less likely to panic.

Take the time to sit down as a family and go through the following steps together, this will ensure that everyone knows the plan well.

MAP IT OUT

Draw a floor plan of your house marking all doors, windows and any other form of exit available. On the floor plan draw the routes, from each room of the house, that you would take to get out of the house quickly.

CHECK YOUR EXITS

Now, go around you house and make sure that all the exits that you marked are working properly and that the area surrounding them are cleared to be able to exit safely.

· Do the windows unlatch and open easily?

· Are the areas around and outside of the windows clear for safe exiting?

· Do the window screens come out easily?

· If you have security bars, these require special precautions. Make sure that every one in the house knows how to use the quick release level properly.

· Do you doors stick at all?

· Are your doors hard to move or heavy for some of the members of your household?

MEETING PLACE

Make sure that you have an agreed upon meeting place that is out and away from the house. Also, be sure that you have a neighbor's house that you can all go to while you wait for the fire department to arrive. Have a back-up neighbor too, in case your first choice is gone or out of town.

BUILD A BETTER FIRE SAFETY KIT

Putting together a fire safety kit is a great idea. When the fire strikes you will not be thinking clearly about what you need. The kit can be as small or large as you can get out of the house with you during a fire, listed are some suggested items to keep in your fire kit.

· First Aid Kit

· UV approved collapsible ladder

· A Change of Clothes for Everyone in the House

· A couple of towels and toiletries

· Home Owner's Insurance Information

· Pet Leashes and Pet Care Items (food, bathing products, vet records)

· Personal Information on Everyone in the Family (copies of birth records, social security cards, financial information, emergency contacts)

· Back Up Medications

Try to think of anything that you may need to help you get back to normal life, if you lose everything. I know that it is a daunting thing to think about, but as a parent I know that if something tragic like this happens, I want to be able to get my kids back to school as soon as possible and help them get back to normal quickly. It also gives them something productive to do, so they don't worry about everything as much, while you handle all the important stuff.

PETS

For many of us, our pets are an extension of our family and they are thought of just as quickly in an emergency situation. But, please also try to keep things in perspective. NEVER put yourself in danger to save your pet. Parents, this goes double for children. A child is much more likely to run back in or try to save their beloved pet, but often a child doesn't have the rationale to know their safety is more important than that of the animal. We also must remember that animals have exceptionally good instincts about safety and how to get out of a dangerous situation, unless they are trapped somewhere or waiting for you, they are probably going to be waiting for you outside the house.

FIRE SAFETY FEATURES IN NEW HOMES

Smoke alarms are always going to be your first line of defense in a fire. Maintain them well by testing them once a month and changing the batteries as needed. It is also a good idea to change out the entire unit every ten years, to ensure that your house is being protected with update technology and fire safety standards.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors are also becoming the new standard when building a new home. Since 2005, many home building have started installing a combination smoke alarm/CO detector unit in each floor of each home they build. Most states are now also starting to adopt the practice into law. For more information on this, please visit the Residential Fire Safety Institute website at www.firesafehome.org.

Fire Sprinklers are the best protection against a fire in your home, most home buyers don't realize this as an option. But, more and more families are having them installed. They aren't just for buildings and schools anymore. The cost is the equivalent to a carpet upgrade when building a new home, at about 1% or less of the home cost. While, smoke detectors increase your survival rate by about 47%, sprinklers increase it by 97%!

Portable Extinguishers are available just about every where now. There was even one already installed in the kitchens and garages of my last two rental houses. They are very inexpensive and easy to hang. Be sure that all the members of the household know how to proper use the device and encourage children to allow an adult to handle it.

Escape Windows are now a part of the building code and each room should have a full functioning window that is big enough for someone to fit through. Basements should also be equipped with at least one escape window. If the window is below the ground line, then there should be a window well so that someone could still get out of the window if they needed too.

FIRE SAFETY GADGETS

There are a numbers of personal safety gadgets popping up, like the car escape tools we see (see my article What Would You Do: Submerged Car) and fire safety is no different. Next a just a couple of that are offered and where to find them.

Smoke Escape Hood

Purpose: Heat-Resistant, transparent hood protects head and offers clean air to breathe for 15 minutes allowing time to exit the house

Cost: $9.99

Where To Buy It:www.improvementscatalog.com under "Problem Solvers"

Portable Fire Escape Ladder

Purpose: A lightweight, compact and durable ladder for getting out of 2^nd and 3^rd story windows, stores easily under a bed

Cost: $85 and up

Where To Buy It: www.safehomeproducts.com Type "Fire Ladders" in the search bar

Another great site to check out is www.redi-exit.com. They have an entire line of fire escape devices, from talking smoke alarms and smoke alarms for the hearing-impaired and blind to a complete fire escape system you can installed on your house.

I know that the idea of a home fire is at the top of any parents list of nightmares, but I know that I would rather think about it now and be prepared, then to hope the situation never occurs. Please take a moment to sit down with your loved ones and make a plan for a safe escape in the event of a fire at your home.