No one wants to believe that their house can catch on fire; but it can happen. If your smoke alarm started screeching in the middle of the night, would you know what to do? A home fire escape plan can help you and your family evacuate the house safely. 

To create your own fire escape plan, you will need a piece of grid paper, a pencil, and your family. Working on this together will help ensure everyone understands what is expected of them in the event of a real fire. 

As a family, draw the outline of your house (or apartment unit). Draw the interior walls and mark all the windows and doors. Next, mark the location of all smoke alarms on the grid paper. There should be at least one smoke alarm on each level of the house and near the bedrooms. 

If your home has more than one level, draw each level on the grid paper. 

If you live in an apartment, include the outside hallways that lead to the stairwells. On every level of your apartment building, there should be an evacuation plan posted. Otherwise, talk to the building’s Superintendent. Include the emergency exits on your escape plan. If there is a fire drill in the building, make sure you and your family participate.

Once you have your floor plan drawn, it’s time to take a walk. This walk will help you and your  family determine the best emergency exits for each room. 

If you are uncertain where to begin, start in the bedrooms. Examine the windows and the doors. Each room needs two safe ways out. The door is usually the first choice for leaving the bedroom—you can mark this with a large “1” in the doorway. The second exit would be the window(s). All the windows in the house should open easily, without breaking the glass. 

Keep in mind that the farther off the ground the window is, the harder it will be to climb down from. You can purchase different types of fire safety ladders for windows that are on the second floor or higher. 

When you are done with your walk, the floor plan should have a 1 and a 2 marked off in each room of the house (where possible). Inspect every exit to make sure that it is clutter-free and easily accessible. 

On your plan, you will also want to mark an outside meeting area. You and your family will meet there in the event of a fire. It should be a safe distance from your home, but close enough to a neighbor’s so you can call the fire department from there. 

Remember, if the smoke alarm goes off, always use the back of your hand to check a closed door before opening it. If it’s hot, then the fire is close—use your secondary exit. If it’s not hot, slowly open the door. Check to see if the way is clear of fire and smoke. If not, close your door tight and leave through your secondary exit. 

If smoke has filled the house, be sure to stay low to the floor under the fire’s toxic smoke and crawl to the closest exit. Close all doors behind you. This helps slow the spread of fire; remember, fire needs oxygen to burn! 

Once you have left your home, do not go back! Meet your family at the designated meeting place outside. The first one out should go to the neighbor’s house and call for help. Make sure that everyone in the family knows the Fire Department’s phone number, or 911 (depending on where you live). 

The whole family should rehearse this fire escape plan at least twice a year. Practice both emergency exits. Going through the door is the easy way out, but it might not be the best way if your home is on fire. Everyone needs to practice opening the windows and screens, climbing out the window and down to the ground. 

A fire escape plan can be a life saving plan. Do you have what it takes to get out of the house safely?