Fire Prevention Starts With YOU!

What Every Sand Springs Resident Should Know About Fire Prevention Exit Drills In The Home

What is a fire escape plan? It’s your strategy for a safe exit from your home during a fire emergency.

How likely is it that a fire could occur in your home? Each year in Oklahoma there are more than 6,500 residential fires. As a result of those fires, more than 70 people are killed and hundreds of others are injured.

What ingredients make up an effective escape plan? A careful escape plan begins with careful preparation, proper placement of smoke detectors and regular Exit Drills In The Home (E.D.I.T.H.).

How to Design A Fire Escape Plan

Planning ahead provides numerous benefits. Advanced planning will ensure that you are ready for any fire emergency and can provide you and your loved ones peace of mind.

To design your own fire escape plan, sketch the floor plan of your home. Indicate on the sketch all doors, windows and other areas from which you cold escape from each room in your home.

Draw arrows to indicate the normal exits, which would be your primary, escape routes. With an alternate color, draw arrows to indicate a secondary exit from each room in the home.

Choose a location outside the home where family members should meet once they have safely escaped. A neighbor’s front yard or sidewalk may be an ideal meeting place.

Note the emergency number to call to report a fire. In Sand Springs the emergency number is "911" to contact police, fire or rescue units.

• Location of smoke detectors - The number of smoke detectors you need, and their location, depends upon the layout of your home. There should be one smoke detector located near sleeping areas. It is also a good idea to have at least one smoke detector on each level of your home.
• Report a Fire - Everyone should know the location of telephones and know the emergency number to notify the fire department. It is very important that children also know the emergency "911" phone number in order to report a fire or other emergency incidents to authorities.

Hold Exit Drills In The Home Regularly

Your fire escape plan may look great on paper, but does it really work? Regular exit drills in the home will allow you to test the plan and make adjustments as may be needed. When practicing your exit drill in the home remember to use alternate escape routes as well. Children should be closely supervised during drills in the home, and no one should take unnecessary changes.

Survival Tips 

• If you smell smoke in your home stay calm and remember to think! If you are in bed, don’t waste time getting dressed or collecting valuables. Your own life is the most valuable possession you have.
• Crawl to the door leading from your room. This will allow you to breath "good air" which is closest to the floor. Remember in the fire incident, smoke and most dangerous gases collect near the ceiling first.
• Before opening the door, feel the doorknob and door to see if it is cool. Brace yourself against the door, opening it carefully and slowly. Be sure to slam the door if you notice any smoke or heat from the opposite side.
• If you cannot escape using your primary exit from the room, use the secondary exit. As a reminder, do not jump from windows unless it is a last resort! This is especially important if you are two or more stories above ground.
• If you are located at a window, signal for help by waving a sheet or other light colored article. Firefighters and emergency personnel are trained to observe and to rescue persons from windows in the event of an emergency. Once outside the home, never re-enter a burning building.
• The importance of immediate evacuation is critical! Fire spreads rapidly – within minutes, your home or apartment could become a raging inferno.REMEMBER, ANY TIME YOUR SAFETY IS THREATENED, DON’T DELAY AND ESCAPE!

Planning for Special Needs 

• Some people face greater risks during a fire incident as they may have special disabilities. These would include individuals who are physically handicapped, or mentally impaired.
• A whistle may aid visually impaired people who need to signal for help if they lose their way during an evacuation.
• A mentally impaired person should sleep in a bedroom near someone who can help in the event of an emergency. A constant review of the fire escape plan will be needed to reinforce the procedures to be followed.
• A physically handicapped person may require a sleeping area on the ground floor. Designing a special escape plan for a physically handicapped person depends on the abilities of that person.
• Exit Drills In The Home can help people to prepare for an emergency. Most home fires begin between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. This is a time when most people are least prepared. In the middle of the night, a fire can be a disaster if you and your family are not familiar with how to escape during an emergency.
  • So, to protect yourself and your family remember these tips:
    • Prepare a fire escape plan.
    • Install and Maintain smoke detectors.
    • Practice Exit Drills In The Home regularly.
    • Examine your home for fire hazards and take steps to prevent a fire before it occurs.