We have recently been blogging and posting about checking all your fire safety equipment and ensuring you have the correct fire safety measures. However, this blog will explore how you can put an escape plan in place to keep your family safe.
Most homes differ in layout to the amount of people sharing that home, no single household is the same. Details of your escape plan will therefore depend on everyone’s individual requirements.
It is important to remember that every household should have some sort of escape plan in place just in case the worst was to happen. Hopefully you will never have to use it, but it is important to prepare for it so there is no delay when it is put into action.
If you are concerned about how you would escape from your home in case of fire, don’t worry, help is at hand. No matter how old you are, or what type of house you live in, the fire and rescue service will help you devise an escape plan, free of charge.
If you prefer to create your own, then please follow our safety advice below.
Smoke alarms
Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. It's very easy to focus on kitchen fire prevention with fires caused by cooking the most common, but it's vital to focus on every area of the home.
A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home.
Plan together as a household
Plan together as a family ensuring that all the children in the household know the plan and what to do in the unlikely event of fire occurring. Special arrangements need to be made in consideration of any elderly people who may live with you and how you will implement their escape.
The escape route
Ensure that the escape route is practicable and can be carried out. Have a regular talk through so it’s always fresh in your minds. It is also advisable to have a room in which you could all stay in if the worst was to happen. We would suggest that this room also has a telephone so you can summon help. Make sure all the children know your address in case they have to telephone themselves.
Shout for help
It’s important to let firefighters know you are there, and if you haven’t managed to call 999 you need to raise the alarm. Lean out of the window to breathe if you need to. Keep drawing attention to yourself. If the window is locked try breaking it with a heavy object. Strike the window in the corner, as it can be hard to break the glass. It may also be worth purchasing several Emergency Hammers which is a small price to pay if it aids your escape.
Escaping
Only escape from a window if you are in immediate danger from the fire. When in the room it is advisable to put bedding or clothes at the bottom of the door to stop the smoke coming in before you all have escaped. If there are two adults, then one should drop first to enable the children to be lowered before being dropped, don’t jump. If you are escaping from an upper bedroom throw out the mattress or bedding to help cushion the landing.
Escape ladders
Designed to be quick and easy to deploy in an emergency, our fire escape ladder is suitable for two and three-storey buildings. It is a steel ladder, intended for home use only which simply and quickly attaches to a window for escape.
Our fire escape ladders are tried, tested and proven to offer vital fire protection in the bedroom and upstairs as a whole. They're available in two different sizes, see our website for more details.
For more information on our safety products, click here.
The Firechief® range includes high-performance fire extinguishers, fire blankets, first aid kits, lithium-ion fire extinguishers and the Kitchen Stove Guard. For more information, call us on +44 (0)330 999 0019 or email sales@firechiefglobal.com.
Disclaimer
The information contained within this blog is provided solely for general informational and educational purposes and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Before taking any actions based upon this information, we advise the reader to consult any and all relevant statutory or regulatory guidance and where felt necessary to consult a qualified fire or industry regulation professional. The use or reliance on any information contained herein is solely at the reader's risk.