Advice on Home Fire Plans

Develop a home fire escape plan today…

It could save your life tonight!
If a fire occurred in your home tonight, would your family get out safely? Everyone must know what to do and where to go when the smoke alarm sounds. Take a few minutes with everyone in your household to make a home fire escape plan, following the instructions below.

1.Draw a floor plan of your home
Include all possible emergency exits including windows if you have a 1 or 2 storey house.
Draw in all the doors, windows and stairways. This will show you and your family all possible escape routes at a glance. Include any features, such as the roof of a garage or porch, that would help in your escape.
Show two ways out of every room, if possible.

The door will be the main exit from each room. However, if the door is blocked by smoke or fire, identify an alternate escape route, which could be a window. Make sure that all windows can open easily and that everyone knows how to escape through them to safety. If windows have security bars, equip them with quick-releasing devices.

Does anyone need help to escape?
Decide in advance who will assist the very young, older adults or people with disabilities in your household. A few minutes of planning will save valuable seconds in a real emergency.

2....
Draw a floor plan of your home. You should draw a plan for each level of your home. • • •

Remember:
Plan two ways out of every room, if possible
Hold a fire drill twice a year
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside all sleeping areas

If you live in a high-rise apartment building, contact the Local Housing Officer for information on your building’s fire safety plan.

Review the plan with everyone in your household. Walk through the escape routes for each room with the entire family. Use this walk-through exercise to check your escape routes, making sure all exits are practical and easy to use. Then hold a fire drill twice a year and time how long it takes. In a real fire, you must react without hesitation as your escape routes may be quickly blocked by smoke or flames.
Practice your escape.

3....
Call the fire service by dialing 999 from outside your home
Don’t waste valuable seconds calling the fire service from inside your home. Once you have safely escaped, call the fire service from a mobile phone or a neighbour’s home.
4.....
Choose a meeting place a safe distance from your home that everyone will remember. A tree, street light or a neighbour’s home are all good choices. In case of fire, everyone will go directly to this meeting place so they can be accounted for.

5.....

Choose a meeting place outside
Draw a floor plan of your home, showing two ways out of every room, if possible.
Office

Make a fire escape plan for your family. Find two exits out of every room. Pick a meeting place outside. Practice makes perfect – hold a family fire drill at least twice each year.

6....
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. There are two kinds of smoke alarms – photoelectric and ionization. If possible, get some of each kind or buy “combination” smoke alarms that have both types of sensors.
Put them inside or near every bedroom. Test them monthly to make sure they work. Put in new batteries once a year.

7.....
Know how to put out a small pan fire by sliding a lid over the flames, or using a damp dishcloth.

Teach every family member to “Stop, Drop, Roll and Cool” if clothes catch fire by dropping immediately to the ground, crossing hands over your chest and rolling over and over or back and forth to put out the flames. Cool the burned area with cool water and seek medical attention for serious burns.

Consider having a home fire sprinkler system installed if buying a new home.

8.....
Learn how and when to use a fire extinguisher. Learn when it is safe to do so. As a rough guide, when smoke is at ceiling level and flames are at hip height it should be safe to use an appropriate fire extinguisher.
A dry powder type extinguisher is a multi purpose extinguisher suitable for small fires in the home.It can be used on fires of electrical origin or combustible solid fires. eg paper, fabrics, clothes etc.