Creating a Fire Evacuation Plan That Works for Your Family | SERVPRO® of Houston County

5/28/2020 (Permalink)

Creating a fire evacuation plan is one of the best things you can do to boost your household’s
fire safety. Once flames begin to spread, you often only have one to two minutes to escape from the home, so ensuring you and everyone in your household can execute an evacuation in this
time is a great tool to keep everyone safer.

When you make a fire evacuation plan, it is important to tailor it specifically to your situation and your home’s unique features. Every household will have different considerations, which is why considering these details and scheduling regular drills of your evacuation plan is so important.

Creating a Fire Evacuation Plan Specific to Your Household

Consider any specific needs for members of your household. If everyone in your household
is able-bodied and in a middle age range, you may not have anyone that has specific needs to
consider when evacuating. However, if you have very young children, persons with disabilities,
older adults or pets, it is important that you create your plan with these household members in mind. Make sure everyone (and every pet) who may need assistance getting out of the home
has an evacuation buddy who can check on them and get them to safety.

Be sure each room has two exits.

For single-level homes, this is an easy rule to follow. However, when dealing with homes that have multiple stories, this might be more difficult to obtain. Consider storing safety ladders in each upstairs room of your home so that escapees
can utilize a window if the door is blocked by flames, and make sure every window can be
opened to the outside.

Think about the specific layout of your home.

While a fire could start anywhere, it is
important to identify areas where one is more likely to occur so you can be certain you can
evacuate regardless of the scenario. Kitchens are the most frequent place that fires occur, but
also make sure you plan for garage fires, fireplace fires or candles igniting the area around them as well. Be sure that regardless of where the fire breaks out, your rooms are set up in a way that allows you a clear path to one or more exits in the room.

If you have fire damage to your home, you can count on us to help. Get in touch with us at any
time to learn more about our fire restoration process.