Fire Safety with Hunter: Escape Plan

Fire Safety with Hunter: Fire Escape Plan

Welcome back to Fire Safety with Hunter, where we discuss how to prevent house fires and how to prepare for them in the event something happens. In our last blog, we talked about Kitchen Safety and how to prevent a fire from happening in a kitchen. If you haven’t read it yet, we recommend you do. 

This week I want to discuss Fire Escape Plans and how to go through them with your children and other members in your household. 

I like the saying “prepare for the worst but hope for the best”. You might never have a house fire, which is my hope for everyone, but sometimes the unexpected can happen and it’s best to be prepared.

Creating a Fire Escape Plan

1. Draw up a floor plan of your home 
2. Ensure every floor has its own plan
3. Include all stairways, doors and windows on your floor plans
4. There should be at least 2 possible exits from each room, indicate which is the primary exit and which is a secondary exit (door and windows) with arrows indicating which is which
   1. The Door will be your primary exit 
   2. Show children how to check the door for heat, to ensure that it is safe to leave the room 
   3. If windows are the secondary exit, be sure to show everyone how to open them and exit them safely
5. Who needs help escaping? Make a plan on how those who need assistance will exit (example: if an older sibling and younger sibling room together perhaps the older sibling can assist the younger one)
   1. By planning for this, you can save precious time in the event of an emergency
6. Choose a location to meet once everyone has evacuated the house
   1. This is typically called the Muster Point
   2. The muster point should be far enough away, that you’re safe, and is easily remembered (so a specific tree or street lamp)
7. Dial 9-1-1 when you are outside your home. Time is not on your side, don’t waste it by calling for help when you’re trying to evacuate
8. Practice Makes Perfect
   1. Walk through as a group to determine if all exits are easy to escape from and everyone knows where to go
   2. Fire Drills (I am sure many of us remember these from our school days), do this at home at least twice a year. This is a great opportunity to time how long it takes for you and your family to exit the home.
9. Use this graphic from Strathcona County to help you create a Fire Escape Plan 

Emergencies can be scary, and no one wants to think about them, but by creating an action plan and preparing yourself and your family, you are in a far better position to stay safe. And safety is the most important goal.

For more information on fire escape plans please visit these helpful websites: 

Strathcona County also offers classes throughout the year to residents for safety preparedness 

Strathcona County Safety Education Team can be contacted for more information here: Safety.Educators@strathcona.ca
780‐464‐8468

https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/emergencies-and-disasters-in-canada/be-ready-emergency-preparedness-and-recovery/make-an-emergency-plan

Hunter The LorenzTeam Mascot