The number of scorched homes we have seen here at American Restoration Water & Fire is exponential. Creating a fire escape plan is a very important thing for a family to sit down and put together. It is simple and easy to do, and the entire family will have the same safety precautions as another and know what to do if or when a fire in your home happens.
First, it’s essential to discuss and focus on how dangerous fire is and can be when it is uncontained and moving quickly. The fire and heat from the fire may be slowed down by closed doors, and talk about how you should feel the door handle with a finger first before grabbing it to open. If the fire is directly outside the closed door, the handle could be extremely hot and burn your hand, making it more difficult to escape.
To create your family’s fire escape plan, you should first locate the nearest exit to every room in the home and an alternative exit if it is available. For example, if the bedroom is upstairs and the fire is blocking off the doors downstairs, climbing out the bedroom window would be the alternative exit. As you move further into your fire escape plan, here are some additional topics that should be covered:
- Make sure windows can be easily opened.
- Ensure that the upstairs bedrooms all have fire ladders so that they can exit the home safely.
- Discuss a meeting place: either across the street or at a neighbor’s home.
- If there are infants or younger children or pets in the home that need assistance, assign a person to assist them in the fire. It’s also a good idea to give a backup person just in case.
- Make sure that everyone knows that as soon as a fire detector sounds, to put the fire escape plan into motion.
To guarantee that you receive an early warning regarding a potential fire in your home, it’s vital to confirm that all of your smoke detectors are working. This means that replacing batteries in smoke alarms, which is recommended to be done every six months.
Remind everyone that once out, they need to stay out! If someone is missing, inform the fire department, and they will search for them. American Restoration Water & Fire will be there to help you put the pieces of your home back together. We will work with your insurance company directly to alleviate any additional stresses. We can help with the immediate response to any home fire damage and restoration needs, like cleaning of ash and soot so you can safely retrieve your items. We can also complete the rebuild for the fire damage.
