Fire Escape Preplan

A home fire escape plan can help you make a safe exit from your home during a fire. It gives you a basis for making calm, rational decisions quickly, which is the key to surviving a fire. Fire spreads rapidly and could destroy your home in minutes, so it's important to get everyone out as fast as possible.

Designing Your Plan

Draw up a floor plan of your home. Use a bright pen to highlight two exits from each room, especially bedrooms. In most cases, your second exit will be a window. Make a note of any that might be difficult to open or climb out of. Also note whether porches, balconies or bushes could support the weight of a person. Choose an outside meeting place that's a safe distance from your home so everyone can meet there. That way you can be sure everyone has left the house. In your plan, include special arrangements for children, older adults and the disabled. Disabled people should have one escape plan for when others are home and one for when they are alone.

If You Live in a Multi-Story Apartment or High-Rise
	Plan to use stairs, never elevators, to escape a fire. Elevators may not work or may take you right to the fire. Map out as many routes as possible to exit stairways on your floor.

Discuss Your Plan
	Go over your plan with your family, landlord or neighbors. Make sure everyone knows how your smoke detectors sound when they go off, where to meet after a fire, and the closest telephone or fire alarm callbox outside your home. Remember, escape first call second!

Test Your Plan
	Regular drills allow you to test your plan to see if it really works. Practice using different fire locations and escape routes. Test your plan as if it were nighttime: practice rolling out of bed and crawling low to avoid smoke, feeling your bedroom door for heat and closing doors as you exit to prevent the spread of fire.

Protect Yourself
	Thousands of people die in home fires each year. A home fire escape plan, together with smoke detectors for early warning, is the best way to protect yourself and your family.