There is no point waiting until a fire occurs before figuring out what to do and where to go – especially when family members are involved. Having a well developed and rehearsed home fire escape plan will provide loved ones with crucial time to escape, and could certainly mean the difference between life and death. This practical blog post shows how to develop a home fire escape plan and demonstrates that it needn’t be a difficult task.
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Develop A Floor Plan And Identify The Emergency Exit Paths
The main purpose of a home fire escape plan is to provide the occupants of a dwelling sufficient knowledge and skill to escape a burning building. This is achieved by a) documenting the required information b) communicating the information and then c) practicing the home fire escape plan.
The first step in developing a home fire escape plan is to draw a basic floor plan / map of your house, including key locations such as each person’s bedroom. Review the floor plan collectively with all occupants of the dwelling – identify both the primary and secondary path of exit so there are two means of escape for each person in the event of a fire. Some things to consider – are there obstacles to negotiate such as large furniture? Are there ‘landmarks’ along the way which could assist if smoke has reduced visibility to zero? Are there people in the home of differing ages, mental acuity or reduced physical mobility? If so it may be worth allocating a ‘buddy’ to help these people. Agree on a muster point where everyone is to gather at a safe distance having evacuated the building.
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Practice The Home Fire Escape Plan
It’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another thing to actually do it. Rehearse the home fire escape plan and physically practice an escape with EVERY member of the household, twice yearly. During the rehearsal, a mobile phone timer could be used to create a sense of urgency, reduced visibility due to thick smoke can be simulated by placing a blindfold on the occupant and have them attempt to navigate the exit path in a controlled manner. Once outside the building, everyone should assemble at the fire escape plan’s designated muster point and perform an after action review to identify any opportunities for improvement. Time taken to escape the building can be logged and used as a performance benchmark for future rehearsals.
Interconnected Smoke Detectors
And The Home Fire Escape Plan
ZEN interconnected smoke detectors provide greater early warning and response time to a fire – they should be installed within your home and form part of the overall home fire escape plan. Ensure they are installed in every bedroom, communal hallway outside the bedrooms and if in a multi-story dwelling then at least one on every floor. During the rehearsal of the home fire escape plan, test the photoelectric interconnected smoke detectors so all actually activate, and everyone becomes acquainted with their sound and meaning. Doing so may help lessen the sense of surprise or shock in a real-life fire event, and it is especially important for children who may not associate the smoke alarm sound with danger.
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Fire Safety Essentials
Rehearsing your home fire escape plan is a great opportunity to impart some basic fire safety essentials. You may wish to document the following information in your home fire escape plan and ensure it is understood by all;
- Immediately phone triple zero 000 for Australian emergency services, including the fire department.
- Stay low to the ground to minimize inhaling toxic smoke and fumes which generally rise.
- Prior to opening a door, test it using the back of the hand to ascertain if there is heat on the other side.
- Close doors (but don’t lock) as you pass through them to limit air supply and possible expansion of the fire.
- Once outside at the designated muster point perform a head count. Do not head back inside the burning building for any reason.
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Smoke Alarms And The Home Fire Escape Plan – Summary
A home fire escape plan should be unique to each residence, and the occupants should be familiar with it. Review the home fire escape plan bi-annually and practice escaping from the building so that theoretical knowledge becomes reality. Ensure ZEN interconnected smoke detectors are installed and test these during the practice-run. Basic fire safety essentials should also be added to the home fire escape plan and practiced – doing so will increase the opportunity for your loved ones to escape a burning home in a real-life emergency situation.
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Want to know more? Watch our ZEN quick-start video or call us on 0478 596 402
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