Most families spend more time planning their next vacation than they do planning for a house fire. It’s a shame, but it’s true. House fires happen every 87 seconds in the United States, and there are far too many unprepared households. A fire safety plan isn’t just about putting in smoke detectors and hoping for the best. It’s a plan everyone in the family knows and remembers even in the middle of the night when panic has set in.
The biggest hurdle for most people planning for fire safety is that they think it’s complicated. The truth is that it can be pretty simple. A solid fire safety plan can easily be created and practiced in one afternoon, and it is well worth it. The trick is covering all the necessary items but also not overcomplicating the situation.
Get Your Detection Plan in Place
Long before any evacuation plan will ever help your family, your family needs effective detection systems installed throughout your home. Most families make their first mistake in planning a detection plan by going with whatever the builder installed in the house when they purchased their home. Fire detection systems have improved significantly over the years, and quality detectors can save minutes by alerting authorities.
FireAngel smoke alarms and other companies alike, are an excellent place to start. Be sure to install coverage on each level of your home, paying attention to bedrooms where members need to sleep fast. Smoke rises, so mounting these detectors on ceilings is a good idea.
Different areas of your home will need different types of detection systems. Kitchen areas do not require smoke detection, but these areas would benefit from heat detection and possibly multi-sensor devices. Sleeping areas need traditional smoke detection, as these alerts need to awaken people quickly. Garages and basements will require special units that accommodate dust and temperature differences.
Have Escape Routes That Make Sense
This is where most families fall apart. The floor plan of every family, and the creation of two escape routes from every room, all seems straightforward. But what really matters? Your escape routes must make sense for all family members. That secondary story escape route might not be suitable for toddlers or even elderly family members.
Walk your family through the home and explore every possible escape route. Windows count as escape routes, but only if people can get through them. If the only escape route from a room involves walking through the house to get to the front door, you need a viable escape route that won’t put your family at risk.
Emergency escape ladders are a good idea for upper levels of your home, but only if people know how to use them. As a family, practice using these ladders; they are not intuitive devices in the middle of a chaotic emergency. Store the ladders in a secure but accessible location; toddlers should not be able to stumble upon them while playing.
Find Meeting Points and Communication Plans
Every effective fire safety plan has a meeting point outside the house where family members will meet after escaping a fire. It should not be “anywhere.” You need a place that is far enough removed from danger that every family member can find it.
The front yard may seem like an intuitive place, but what if the fire originated near your front door? You need a specific place, not an undefined area. “In the front yard” is better than nothing, but “By the mailbox” is better yet. “By the big oak tree across the street” is even better! It will lessen confusion when people are stressed and potentially fumbling through smoke and darkness.
Your communication plan should include not only your local fire department number but also someone specific to call after the fire emergency. Do not leave this task to anyone but the family member who can get to their phone most easily in an emergency.
Practice Often!
This planning is only half the battle; you need to practice monthly for this plan to be effective. The average family conducts one fire drill per year. They perform this drill when it is convenient for the family, when they have time during the day and everyone is well-rested. Practicing under those conditions will not condition your family for an actual fire.
Practice fire drills throughout the year at all times of day, including early in the morning before anyone has had time to wake up. Turn off the lights, and practice randomly starting drills in various rooms around the home. It will be worth the effort, and it will help people remember their emergency “muscle memory” response so that even though a family member is freaked out in an actual emergency, they can still execute the plan as they have practiced repeatedly.
During the practice, use a timer to determine how long it takes to get everyone out of the house and to the meeting points. This will surprise families repeatedly; not everyone will remember how long it takes to get their entire family (including pets) out of the house during a massive panic incident. This will also highlight whether you must change your routes or help specific members of your family with special needs to complete these drills.
Consider Family Specific Scenarios
Every family will need to consider slightly different scenarios in their fire safety plan. Families with toddlers should practice getting small children out of the house in various situations (you may also need to practice this instead of actually drilling).
Perhaps it’s also likely that you might need your own plan for children who might potentially be hiding animals in fire emergencies.
On that note, you should also consider adding fire safety equipment if you have elderly family members or those with disabilities. These may also have necessitated other family conversations about evacuation.
Practice drilling with your pets also; they don’t have an innate sense of how to get out of an emergency. One family member could be assigned per pet, so nobody gets left behind during an emergency.
Have equipment for them ahead of time. Emergency pet evacuation ladders could save their lives! Ensure they are strategically placed so they do not go off course during these drills.
Stick to Your Plan!
The most comprehensive fire safety plan will not work if your family does not remember it or does not continue practicing every month and every year on schedule. Set reminders every few months (and maybe even seasonally).
Update your plan whenever something changes in your family.
Stay smart with your tools. Be sure to change the batteries on your flashlights every few years, but also after every season. A good plan won’t be good if your flashlights don’t work.
Get new escape ladders if they malfunction.
Also, don’t forget to update phone numbers!
A solid fire safety plan can help you save your life and the lives of those around you during a house fire of any kind; there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be creating one when it takes just one afternoon! No time can replace what could potentially happen if a fire occurs when they happen every 87 seconds across America!
