Fire Escape Planning

  • Senior citizens, age 65 and older, and children under the age of five are at the greatest risk of death from fire
  • Deaths due to an inability to escape are particularly preventable
  • Having a working smoke alarm reduces one's chance of dying in a fire by nearly a half

Fire Escape Planning Life-Saving Tips

  • Designate a meeting place outside and take attendance, get out and stay out
  • Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home, test smoke alarm batteries every month and change them at least once a year; consider installing a 10-year lithium battery-powered smoke alarm, which is sealed so it cannot be tampered with or opened
  • Know your local emergency numbers; in most areas, the number is 911
  • Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two ways to escape from each room in the house
  • Never open doors that are hot to the touch
  • Practice finding your way out of the house with your eyes closed, crawling or staying low and feeling your way out of the house
  • Remember to escape first, then notify the fire department
  • Teach your family to stop, drop to the ground and roll if their clothes catch fire