FIRE SAFETY TIPS

Hesitation about whether an alarm is real or what to do next could prove fatal in a home fire. The best way to survive a home fire is to get out fast! That’s why practicing fire drills is so important. According to the National Fire Protection Association, people can survive even major fires in their homes if they are alerted to the fire in time and know what to do. There is no time to plan during a fire emergency.

Please make the time today, to sit down with your family and prepare a step-by-step plan for escaping a fire in your home. Here are some simple steps to get you started:

When the smoke alarm sounds, every second counts!

INSTALL SMOKE ALARMS
• Install outside every sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement
• Keep them in working order
• Test the alarms monthly
• Change the batteries twice a year (any alarm that is more that 10 years old should be replaced)

MAKE AN EMERGENCY ESCAPE PLAN
• Draw a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of every room (include windows as exits!)

PRACTICE FIRE DRILLS
• Conduct fire drills in your home
• Make your drills realistic - pretend that some exits are blocked and practice using alternative escape routes
• Conduct exit drills at least twice a year
• Do Not Race. Get out quickly, but carefully

COMMUNICATE
• Discuss the escape routes and alternatives with every household member
• Make special arrangements for children, older adults, and people with disabilities
• Agree on a meeting place outside your home where every household member will gather, after escaping, to await the fire department

GET OUT!
• DO NOT STOP for anything
• DO NOT try to rescue possessions or pets
• Go directly to your designated meeting place then call the fire department

STAY OUT!
• Once you are out of your home, DO NOT GO BACK!
• If others are trapped, firefighters are best equipped and have the best chance of a successful rescue effort

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