Basic fire escape planning Published Feb. 5, 2013 By 721st Civil Engineer Squadron fire prevention CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN AIR FORCE STATION, Colo. -- Imagine waking up to smoke filling the bedroom. Do you know what to do in case your house is on fire? Do your children? Having a proper plan in case of a fire can help save the lives of those you love most. Making the plan as a family and then practicing is essential to ensure everyone is prepared. Forming your plan: · Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. Also, mark the location of each smoke alarm. · Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. National Fire Alarm Code requires interconnected smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound. · When you walk through your plan, check to make sure the escape routes are clear and doors and windows can be opened easily. · Choose an outside meeting place (i.e. neighbor'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. · Go outside to see if your street number is clearly visible from the road. If not, paint it on the curb or install house numbers to ensure that responding emergency personnel can find your home. · Have everyone memorize the emergency phone number of the fire department. This allows any member of the household to call from a neighbor's home or a cellular phone once safely outside. · If there are infants, older adults or family members with mobility limitations, make sure someone is assigned to assist them in the fire drill and in the event of an emergency. Assign a backup person too, in case the designee is not home during the emergency. · If windows or doors in your home have security bars, make sure the bars have emergency release devices inside so they can be opened immediately in an emergency. Emergency release devices won't compromise your security but they will increase your chances of safely escaping a home fire. · Tell guests or visitors to your home about your family's fire escape plan. When staying overnight at other people's homes, ask about their escape plan. If they don't have a plan in place, offer to help them make one. · Once you're out, stay out! Under no circumstances should you ever go back into a burning building. If someone is missing, inform the fire department dispatcher when you call. Firefighters have the skills and equipment to perform rescues. Putting your plan to the test: · Practice your home fire escape plan twice a year, making the drill as realistic as possible. · Allow children to master fire escape planning and practice before holding a fire drill at night when they are sleeping. The objective is to practice, not to frighten, so telling children there will be a drill before they go to bed can be as effective as a surprise drill. · It's important to determine during the drill whether children and others can readily waken to the sound of the smoke alarm. If they fail to awaken, make sure someone is assigned to wake them up as part of the drill and in a real emergency situation. · If your home has two floors, every family member, including children, must be able to escape from second floor rooms. Escape ladders can be placed in or near windows to provide an additional escape route. Review the manufacturer's instructions carefully so you'll be able to use a safety ladder in an emergency. Practice setting up the ladder from a first floor window to make sure you can do it correctly and quickly. Children should only practice with a grown-up, and only from a first-story window. Store the ladder near the window, in an easily accessible location. · Always choose the fastest escape route- the one with the least amount of smoke and heat - but be prepared to escape under toxic smoke if necessary. When you do your fire drill, everyone in the family should practice getting low and going under the smoke to your exit. · Closing doors on your way out slows the spread of fire, giving you more time to safely escape. · In some cases, smoke or fire may prevent you from exiting your home or apartment building. To prepare for an emergency like this, practice "sealing yourself in for safety" as part of your home fire escape plan. Close all doors between you and the fire. Use duct tape or towels to seal the door cracks and cover air vents to keep smoke from coming in. If possible, open your windows at the top and bottom so fresh air can get in. Call the fire department to report your exact location. Wave a flashlight or light-colored cloth at the window to let the fire department know where you are located. For more information about a fire escape plan, visit www.nfpa.org.