How to Plan and Practice a Home Fire Escape in Under Two Minutes

In a home fire, the goal is to get everyone out and to a safe meeting place in under two minutes, and the way to get there is to write a plan down and practice it. FEMA’s Ready.gov lays out the essentials.

• Make a written escape plan and practice getting out in under 2 minutes.
• Put smoke alarms on every level of the home and in each bedroom, and test them twice a year.
• Learn the best practices for home fire safety, including fire safety with children.

Make the plan

• Know two ways out of every room, in case one is blocked or unsafe. For a room upstairs, the second way out can be an escape ladder.
• Practice getting low and moving to the exits as if the room were full of smoke.
• Pick a safe meeting place a safe distance from the house.
• Hold a home fire drill at least twice a year.

Planning for children

Children can become very frightened and may not know how to get out unless an adult shows them, so they need clear direction and help.

• Plan for each child under six who cannot get outside alone, including who will help them.
• Teach children what to do when they hear the smoke alarm and no adult is nearby, and practice going to the outside meeting place.
• Teach them never to go back inside a burning building: once out, stay out.
• Show them how to get low and crawl, where the air is less smoky.
• Show them how to check a door for heat with the back of the hand, and to use another way out if it is hot.
• If a child may need an escape ladder, show where it is kept and practice using it.

Run a drill

Fires can start anywhere at any time, so practice at different times of day and night and use different ways out.

1. Know where to go. Review the meeting place and explain that when the smoke alarm beeps, everyone gets out quickly and meets there.
2. Check the alarms. Test them with the children so they know the sound.
3. Do the drill. Children go to their bedrooms and wait. Assign adults to help young children, and put one adult in charge of sounding the alarm and timing. When the alarm goes off, start the timer and have everyone head to the meeting place; stop the timer when all arrive. Under two minutes earns an imaginary gold medal; if not, try again.

In a real fire, get to the meeting place, call 9-1-1 and keep everyone close until firefighters arrive.

Sources

• FEMA, Ready.gov, Practice Your Home Fire Escape Plan, pointing to the U.S. Fire Administration’s home fire escape plan guidance; rewritten in hubnx’s own words.