E.D.I.T.H. - Exit Drills In The Home
Unlike Hollywood and television, real fire is
dark - the smoke is thick and black; you can't see through it and the toxic
gases in the smoke can be disorienting. But if you have practiced crawling
below smoke level, feeling your way along the walls and counting doors to your
exit, you will know exactly what to do and be better prepared to exit safely in
a real fire.
All members of your household should
participate in the process of developing your escape plan, even young
children.
When making your
home escape plan . . .
- Take a walk through your home and locate two
escape routes from each room, making sure each exit is accessible. Having two
accessible ways out of each room greatly improves your chances in escaping a
fire in your home.
- Check for windows that could be painted shut,
make sure they open. Open and check below the window. Is there anything outside
the window that would hamper your escape or injure you if you have to use the
window for an exit? If so, now is the time to make corrections.
- If your bedrooms are located on the second
floor, do you have escape ladders for each bedroom?
- Check for doors blocked by furniture or
storage.
- Establish a meeting place a safe distance from
your home.
- If you have very young, very old, or disabled
occupants in the home, try to locate their bedroom on the ground floor and
designate someone to help them in an emergency.
REMEMBER . . .
- STOP... before opening a door. Feel the door.
While remaining on your knees reach up and feel the door as high as you can
reach without standing up. Feel the door knob, around the edges and bottom of
the door. If you feel heat don't open that door, use your alternative
exit.
- If you encounter smoke on your way out, use
your alternative exit. If you must escape through smoke, stay down and crawl
under the smoke where the air is clearer and cooler.
- If your clothing catches fire,
Stop, Drop and Roll
(covering your face with your hands) to extinguish the flames.
- Once outside, NEVER go back into a
burning building for any reason. Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's phone.
PRACTICE . . .
Practicing your escape before fire strikes will
enable you to get out faster with less panic. If you know your escape route by
heart you will be able to get out quickly even if you've been exposed to
disorienting smoke and gases.
HOW TO SURVIVE...
- Install and maintain smoke detectors
- Make an escape plan and practice it
- Consider installing an automatic fire-sprinkler system
PLAN YOUR ESCAPE
When a fire occurs, there's no time for planning. Sit down with your family today and make a step-by-step plan for escaping from a fire.
Draw a Floor-plan of Your Home
The floor plan marks two ways out of every room - especially sleeping areas. Discuss the escape routes with every member of your household and hold fire drills.
Agree on a Meeting Place
A meeting place outside your home where every member of the household will gather after escaping a fire to wait for the fire department. This allows you to count heads and inform the fire department if anyone is trapped inside the burning building.
Practice Your Escape Plan
Practice at least twice a year. Have a fire drill in your home. Appoint someone to be monitor and have everyone participate. A fire drill is not a race. Get out quickly, but carefully.
Make Your Exit Drill Realistic
Pretend that some exits are blocked by fire and practice alternative escape routes. Pretend that the lights are out and that some escape routes are filling with smoke.
BE PREPARED
Make sure everyone in the household can unlock all doors and windows quickly, even in the dark. Windows or doors with security bars need to be equipped with quick release devices and everyone in the household should know how to use them.
If You Live in an Apartment Building
In apartment buildings, use stairways to escape. Never use an elevator during a fire. It may stop between floors or take you to a floor where the fire is burning.
If You Live in a Two-story House
If your house is a two-story, and you must escape from a second-story window, be sure there is a safe way to reach the ground. Make special arrangements for children, older adults, and people with disabilities.
Test Doors Before Opening Them
While kneeling or crouching at the door, reach up as high as you can and touch the door, the knob, and the space between the door and its frame with the back of your hand. If the door is hot, use another escape route.
If the door is cool, open it with caution.
If You're Trapped
If you are trapped in an area, close all doors between you and the fire.
Stuff the cracks around the doors to keep out smoke. Wait at a window and
signal for help with a light-colored cloth or a flashlight. If there's a
phone in the room, call 911 and let them know where you are.
GET OUT FAST
In Case of Fire
When there's a fire, don't stop for anything. Do not try to rescue possessions or pets. Go directly to your meeting place and then call the fire department from a neighbor's phone or an alarm box.
Every member of your household should know how to call the fire department as well as your address.
Crawl Low Under Smoke
Smoke contains deadly gases, and heat rises. During a fire, cleaner air
will be near the floor. If you encounter smoke when using your primary exit,
use your alternate escape plan. If you must exit through smoke, crawl on
your hands and knees, keeping your mouth and nose covered.
AND STAY OUT!
Once you are out of your home don't go back for any reason. If people
are trapped, the firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them.
The heat and smoke of a fire are overpowering. Firefighters have the
training, experience, and protective equipment to enter back into the house.
PLAY IT SAFE
Smoke Detectors
More than half of all fatal home fires happen at night while people are
asleep. Smoke detectors sound an alram when a fire starts, alerting people
before they are trapped or overcome by smoke.
Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems
Sprinklers attack a fire in its early stages by spraying water only on
the area where the fire is detected. Consider including sprinkler systems in
plans for new construction and installing them in existing homes.