House fires are always an unexpected disaster. Because of this, it is essential that a plan of escape is written out and practiced before a fire damage catastrophe happens. Nothing is more important than the safety of your loved ones.
Creating and practicing this escape plan needs to be as simple as possible. By doing so, the steps are easy to follow for everyone and will not be forgotten if a fire damage disaster does occur. Additionally, the steps must be able to be executed quickly in under two minutes of the alarm going off or when the fire is noticed.
If there are children or those who have not been taught fire safety, it’s important to go over that before making a plan of escape. Teach them what the fire alarm sounds like and what it means when the alarm goes off. They will need to know how to check door handles for heat before opening doors to minimize burns and how to properly crawl to avoid gas inhalation. Teach them to NEVER go back into the house. Once they are outside, they must remain outside! If they must use an escape ladder, make sure they know how to use it safely.
An escape plan must be quick and easy to execute while also being easily adaptable. When a fire breaks out, the conditions of your home may make the escape plan harder to carry out as originally taught. Keeping this in mind, there are a few important rules to remember when creating the plan. First, there must be more than one exit out of any room in the house in case one is blocked in some way. Everyone must be able to get low on the ground in the escape plan in order to avoid smoke inhalation. There must also be an agreed-upon meeting place that everyone can identify. If there are young children or those who need assistance, incorporate that into the plan. Make sure that everyone knows who is in charge of helping them make it outside safely.
Once you have created the easy-to-follow escape plan, it must be practiced frequently in order to keep fresh in your mind. When you first come up with the plan, walk through it with every member of the home until everyone fully understands it. Run through a fire drill to ensure that everyone can complete it correctly. While doing this, make sure it also is doable for everyone as well, not just for yourself. Once everyone is able to complete it without added help and makes it to the agreeable spot, you can move on to regular fire drills. Make sure to do these at least twice a year to refresh everyone’s memories frequently.
If a fire occurs in your home, it’s important to know how to get out and what to do afterward. The most crucial part is to ensure that everyone gets out safely. After that, what do you do? How can you possibly recover? Fortunately, you are not left alone to figure out where to go from there. Professionals at TCM Restoration in Anchorage are readily available around the clock to help you recover from a devastating event.
