Create a Home Fire Escape Plan

Keeping your family safe is of ultimate importance – including being prepared for a home fire. Every family needs to have a home fire escape plan in place. Every member of the family must be clear about what to do if a fire breaks out. Get your plan in place! Your Park City Fire District is here to help you keep your family safe. 

Your Home Fire Escape Plan

Your escape plan will be based upon the number of small children or elderly persons living in your home, the size of your home, and the number of levels. While it may seem overwhelming to create a home fire escape plan, if your home catches fire there are often only seconds for you and your family to get to safety.

How to Create a Safety Plan That Makes Sense

  1. Draw a basic floor plan of every level of your home, showing every door and window.
  2. Do a walk-through to identify two escape routes for each room.
  3. Draw these escape routes onto your map.
  4. Ensure all windows and doors can be easily opened – you or your family member may need to exit through a door or window to escape danger. Practice opening windows, and ensure the children know how.
  5. Practice your fire drills in the home twice a year, both for day and night. Do a nighttime drill with all family members in bed prior at the start of the drill. Many fires occur during the sleeping hours, and every family member, young and old, should know what to do.
  6. Practice “kid-only” fire drills so children know how to respond should a fire break out when they are alone.
  7. Designate a meeting place outside, at a safe distance, where everyone will meet should a fire break out.
  8. Never return into a burning home, no matter what.
  9. Ensure your street number is clearly marked on your home so it can be identified by the Park City Fire District emergency response team at once. Have your home street number painted on the curb for added safety.

Home Escape Plans: The Basics

Step one is always prevention. Ensure you have smoke alarms in place outside every bedroom and on every level of the home — with healthy batteries. Replace batteries once a year, and test once a month. Replace the entire smoke alarm unit every ten years at most.

Love to barbecue? Ensure your barbecue is located at a safe distance from the walls of your home. Unattended cooking is the main cause of home fires. Don’t leave any food cooking in the kitchen unattended.

Talk to your children about the risks of a home fire. Many home fires are started by curious children playing with matches, lighters, or fireworks. Performing home fire drills is an excellent way for your young ones to gain understanding of the real-world risks of fire.

Avoid candles. While candles provide a cozy source of light and smell nice, they are also extremely dangerous and a common source of home fires. As you can now purchase very lifelike fireless candles, we urge you to invest in this option. Wax is flammable, and a burning candle knocked off a table by a child or pet can spell disaster.

Practice, Practice, Practice.

Being prepared is key to keeping your family safe when something goes wrong. We cannot plan for every eventuality, but we can make sure that every family member knows what to do if the unexpected occurs. Use our tips to help keep everyone safe, and remember – you need two ways out of every room!