If a House Fire Occurs, Is Your Family Prepared?
By T. Jeff Williams
As you start to read this, pause for a moment and imagine that your house is on fire. Regardless how it might have started, imagine the flames racing up curtains, spreading across the ceiling, ever expanding-what are you going to do? Or you are in the kitchen and a grease fire explodes on the stove, spreads to the countertop-what are you going to do?
Take just 30 minutes with your family today to understand everyone's role during a house fire. Why is it important? Because about 4,000 people die from home fires every year, with another 20,000 burned. With some real planning, you can keep your family from becoming a statistic.
Here are some key steps to take in planning your own fire safety:
1. Make an escape plan. Sit down today with your family and determine each person's role should a house fire occur. Plan the most direct routes out of a house for both parents and children. Parents need to determine how they can get to the children and then how to get out of the house. And you need Plan B in the event that your primary escape route is blocked by fire.
Will the windows in all the rooms open, or are they stuck? If you have security bars on the windows, will they open? Check them out. If you must escape from a second story, how will you get to the ground? There are escape ladders available, and even a thick rope with knots every two feet, kept coiled in a closet, can be a lifesaver.
Smoke inhalation causes more deaths than actual burns. From personal experience, I can attest that smoke inhalation will quickly cloud your mind and you may not be able to find your way in even the most familiar rooms and hallways. In going over your escape plan, make sure everyone understands that when making your way through smoke-filled rooms, get down to floor level to find the cleanest air.
Make sure your babysitter knows the drill. Have the older kids run her through it.
Pick a rendezvous point outside the house where everyone must reassemble and be accounted for.
Last but not least: do this drill in pitch black, or with blindfolds on. In a real fire, there is no time for practice.
2. Be prepared for a kitchen fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, nearly a third of all home fires start in the kitchen, with unattended cooking as the number one culprit. If a kitchen fire starts and you have any doubts that you can promptly extinguish it, leave the room and close the door, if there is one. Immediately advise everyone in the house that there is a fire and dial 911 to report the fire.
Your first line of defense against a stove-top fire should be a large metal or glass lid. One of the most common kitchen fires is the grease fire flaring up in a pan. Do not throw water on a grease fire or try to smother it with salt or baking soda, which can actually explode and cause the fire to spread. To put out a fire in a pan, simply cover it with a lid.
A fire extinguisher should also be readily available in a kitchen. There are several types of extinguishers, primarily:
- Class A extinguishers put out fires in ordinary combustible materials such as cloth, wood, rubber, paper, and many plastics.
- Class B extinguishers are used on fires involving flammable liquids, such as grease, gasoline, oil, and oil-based paints.
- Class C extinguishers are suitable for use on fires involving appliances, tools, or other equipment that is electrically energized or plugged in.
For household use, select an extinguisher that is labeled A-B-C, indicating it is effect on all the above types of fires.
3. Test your smoke alarms. If you don't have smoke alarms in your house, you are statistic waiting to happen. More than half of all fire fatalities occur in homes with no smoke alarms. Not only should the alarms be tested monthly, but make sure you have them in the right location.
A smoke alarm should be located above the door inside every bedroom, in the hall at the top of stairs, and in the middle of a downstairs hallway. Because smoke alarms are designed to alert sleeping people, you do not need them in the living room or kitchen. The batteries normally last about one year, and a persistent beeping indicates a low battery. If your alarms are wired into the house electrical system, check that the little light is on, indicating the alarm is active. Hardwired alarms also have batteries as backup in case of a power failure.
4. Fireplaces, candles, and Christmas tree lights are danger points. Make sure you have a good fireplace screen to prevent embers from popping out on to the floor. The chimney should be cleaned every one to three years to prevent the buildup of creosote, which can ignite inside a chimney. With the holiday season soon upon us, make sure your tree lights are in good working order and there are no exposed or frayed wires. Double check extension cords for any breaks in the insulation. Ensure that candles are on solid supports and no flammable material is near them-and that they are out of reach of young children.
5. What about a sprinkler system? If you are building a new house or an addition, consider installing a sprinkler system. More and more city and county governments are now requiring one be installed in new construction. It's an added expense, but highly effective. Because that the water goes off only in the room where the fire is, the chances are excellent that the fire will be immediately contained. It's so much cheaper than dealing with a fire-gutted house.
Finally, do take time today to make a family escape plan.