Be Prepared: Essential Fire Safety Tips For Creating An Effective Escape Plan

Your safety in a home fire relies on a warning from your smoke alarms and having a plan. Fire can move quickly through your home, leaving you as little as one to two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm goes off. 

Have and Practice your Fire Escape Plan

The Fire Marshall's Office says, according to a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) survey, only one of every three households has a fire escape plan, with only 8 percent saying their first thought upon hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out. The survey also found that 71 percent of American households have an escape plan in case of a fire, but only 47 percent have practiced it.

 Tips from the Washington State Fire Marshal

The Washington State Fire Marshal's Office has tips to help you and your family stay safe in a fire. 

Plan for fires with these safety tips in mind:

Plan ahead: Make a map of your home with all doors and windows. Talk about it with everyone at home.

• Be prepared: Know two ways out of each room and ensure doors and windows open quickly and easily.
• Choose a safe meeting spot outside your home.
• Practice fire drills: Do it twice a year, day and night, with everyone. Use different exits each time.
• Teach kids to escape alone if needed.
• Close doors when leaving to slow down the fire.
• Help those who need it: Assign someone to assist family members with mobility issues during drills.
• Have a backup plan.