Perspective

‘Spring forward’ is time to practice your fire escape plan

February 24, 2022 by PEMCO Insurance

Add “practice family fire-escape plan” to your daylight-saving time to-do list. That advice comes from safety experts who note that, while many of us know to replace our smoke detector batteries along with the time change, few go the extra step to make sure all family members understand how to get out of the house safely when seconds count.

What to DO to escape:

Find two ways out of every room in case fire or smoke blocks your usual exit path. That means, without help, all but very young family members should be able to unlatch a window, remove the screen and crawl out to safety, whether that’s to the ground from a first-floor window or onto a safe, relatively flat rooftop or drop-down fire ladder from a second-story window.
Go to a designated safe meeting place so you can account for all family members. The mailbox or a nearby streetlight are good choices.
Call 9-1-1 once you’re safely out.

What to KNOW to stay safer in an emergency:

Sleep with the bedroom door closed. It buys precious seconds to escape if there’s fire or smoke in the hallway.
Crawl rather than walk out of a smoky fire. There’s more breathable air near the floor.
Use the stairs, not the elevator, to escape your apartment or condo. A fire could knock out power to the elevator, leaving you trapped, or the elevator could fill with smoke or even open onto the fire.
Never go back into a burning house to retrieve possessions. The only truly irreplaceable thing is human life.
Make sure your house number is visible. Unless smoke is already billowing, that will help firefighters find your home faster.

For more on family fire-escape plans, watch this FOX13 story featuring experts from PEMCO. And for additional fire-safety tips, see Pemco: 10 Ways To Prevent A House Fire | PEMCO and Pemco: How to choose and use a fire extinguisher | PEMCO. And for an example of how PEMCO works in the community to help kids prepare for emergencies, see PEMCO and the Red Cross Team Up to Teach Students about Safety.

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