Fire Safety 101: How to Make a Fire Escape Plan

11/11/2021 (Permalink)

If fire damage occurs in your home, you can count on SERVPRO, we are ready to help you.

How To Create A Fire Escape Plan: Fire Safety 101

When talking about fire preparation and safety, fire escape planning is often neglected by many families. Many people gravitate to the “it’s never going to happen to me” bubble and unwittingly put their families at risk. Escape planning is potentially life-saving and relatively simple. Follow the steps below for guidance.

1. Scope Out Your Home

Scoping out your home before a home fire may be a life-saving decision. Fire incites panic, and that can lead to poor decision-making in an emergency. By finding emergency exit routes before a crisis, you can increase your likelihood of survival. There should be a clear and defined path to escape from every room of your home.

2. Move Any Obstacles

Fire escape routes should be maintained, meaning they must be free of obstacles. You can ensure the integrity of your escape plans by keeping dressers and tables away from windows and pathways. Everyone should be able to make it to an escape point without having to stop and move furniture.

3. Practice Your Escape Route

Once escape routes are planned and pathways cleared, practice escaping. Many fire departments and municipalities encourage families to practice these routes monthly. While practicing does not require an actual emergency, everyone should move through the plan as quickly as possible because in a real emergency, time is of the essence.

4. Seek Out Professional Guidance

While for small, ranch-style homes escape planning is relatively simple, multilevel homes and apartments can be a little trickier. If you are concerned that your fire preparation plans are not adequate to keep you and your family safe, contact your local fire department or other professionals from Westbrook, ME, to help you create a customized plan.

Fire safety relies heavily on fire prevention and preparation, which has its strongest roots in fire escape. Planning and practicing escape routes can be the difference between life or death if the worst-case scenario should occur. Knowing the layout of your home, removing obstacles, and practicing escape routes are the best ways of ensuring your family's safety in a fire emergency.