Home Escape Planning

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds, so planning ahead and being prepared for an emergency is very important. It could mean the difference between life and death. An escape route that you have planned and practiced will help you and members of your household get out quickly and safely. Follow these tips to make a good home escape plan:

Make a Plan

• Start by drawing a floor plan of your home, showing all windows and doors. 
• Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes.
• Plan two ways out of every room – the door should be your first option and the second could be a window.
• Consider people's physical limitations when making your plan.
• Choose an outside meeting place (i.e. neighbour's house, a light post, mailbox, or stop sign) a safe distance in front of your home where everyone can meet after they've escaped. Make sure to mark the location of the meeting place on your escape plan.
• Discuss the plan with everyone in your home.
• When you walk through your plan, make sure all windows can open easily and that doors and windows with security bars have a quick-release device that everyone can use.
• If there are infants, older adults, or family members with mobility limitations, make sure that someone is assigned to assist them in the fire drill and in the event of an emergency.

Practice Your Plan

We practice so many things in our lives, including fire drills at work and in schools, but very few people do home fire drills. Doing a fire drill is the only way that you are going to know that everyone knows your plan, and that it works.

• Practice your home fire drill at night and during the day with everyone in your home, twice a year.
• Practice using different ways out.
• Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
• Close doors behind you as you leave.

What to do when there's a fire 

If a fire occurs, it is time to put your plan in to action! Use the following steps to get to safety:

• Exit the building right away when there's a fire and if it is necessary to go through smoke, get down on your knees to crawl.
• Close doors behind you as you leave a room to slow the spread of the fire. 
• Go to your meeting place to meet your family.
• Never go back inside a burning building - once out, stay out and call 9-1-1 from the nearest phone.
• Give the 9-1-1 operator your address and let them know if you think anyone is trapped inside the building.

A home escape plan is a great way to ensure that your family will be prepared in case a fire occurs in your home, but it is even better if you can prevent a fire from even happening in your home! Learn how to prevent a fire in your home.