Here are some fire safety tips to remember when you are practicing your plan.
Escape Plan Essentials:
• Always have at least two ways out of each room, such as doors and windows.
• Make sure that all exits are clear and working. If doors or windows are blocked by items such as boxes or furniture, someone, especially young children, may not be able to move them quickly enough to escape. Test your windows to make certain that they are not stuck shut and screens are removable from the inside. If your windows have bars on the outside, find out if they can be opened during an emergency and if not, have them retrofitted to be opened from inside.
• Teach children how to unlock and open the window in case they ever need to get out. If a screen is on the outside, demonstrate how they can remove it.
• Choose a meeting place where members of your family can assemble once you get out. This location should be safely accessible for all members. For example, if small children are in the family, choose a location where they would not have to cross the street, such as the mailbox, a tree in the yard, or the neighbor’s fence.
• Practice your plan at least twice a year. Make sure that you have also practiced at night because some family members may not wake up to the smoke alarm and the exits are more difficult to find by feeling your way through the dark.
• Call your local fire department and notify them about any special circumstances within your home, such as two babies in one room, someone with a physical disability, or any person with special needs. This ensures the information is available to them before an emergency happens. Also share this information with your neighbors so they may inform the police and fire department in the event of an emergency.
• Once everyone gets out, make sure that they stay out!
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