Fire.
It's one of the greatest threats to your family
and home. You need to be quickly alerted -
you need fast response. Fire has the potential
to wipe out everything in its path in just
minutes. It can smolder undetected for hours,
then suddenly explode in fiery destruction.
You need to take every possible precaution
to minimize the risks of fire.
Make
sure all family members know what to do in
the event of a fire. Draw a floor plan with
at least two ways of escaping every room.
Make a drawing for each floor. Make sure the
plan shows important details: stairs, hallways
and windows that can be used as fire escape
routes.
Test
windows and doors—do they open easy
enough? Are they wide enough? Or tall enough?
Choose
a safe meeting place outside the house.
Practice
alerting other members. It is a good idea
to keep a bell and flashlight in each bedroom.
Always
sleep with the bedroom doors closed. This
will keep deadly heat and smoke out of bedrooms,
giving you additional time to escape.
Find
a way for everyone to sound a family alarm.
Yelling, pounding on walls, whistles, etc.
Practice yelling "FIRE!"
In
a fire, time is critical. Don't waste time
getting dressed, don't search for pets or
valuables. Just get out!
Roll
out of bed. Stay low. One breath of smoke
or gases may be enough to kill. Practice staying
low to the ground when escaping.
Feel
all doors before opening them. If a door is
hot, get out another way.
Learn
to stop, drop to the ground, and roll if clothes
catch fire.
Install smoke detectors-Hardwired and monitored
are the most effective. If you don’t
have hardwired detectors, check smoke detectors
once a month and change the batteries at least
once a year. At least one smoke detector should
be installed on every level of a structure
and outside sleeping areas. Purchase smoke
detectors labeled by the Underwriters Laboratories
(UL) or Factory Mutual (FM). |
