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In our home we believe in the importance of home safety and yet somehow we had forgotten to make an emergency escape plan with our two kids. And it turns out we aren’t alone. 43% of homeowners have an emergency escape plan and only 33% have discussed fire safety with their family*.I partnered with First Alert to share how you can easily create an escape plan with your family, so in the event of a fire emergency everyone knows how to get out safely. Scroll down for practical safety tips and a free printable escape planning sheet!
Add an Escape Ladder and Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers should be kept on every level of the home, especially on the main level near the kitchen. Other suggested areas for a fire extinguishers include the laundry room, garage, near bedrooms, and by an outdoor grill (I didn’t realize this, but it makes so much sense!)
For a two story homes add an emergency escape ladder upstairs in case your staircase exit is ever blocked. We plan to keep our escape ladder in the linen closet upstairs.
Install Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
The National Fire Protection Association recommends installing smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and inside and outside each sleeping area. And carbon monoxide alarms should be installed on every house level, including the basement and near each bedroom. Every level, every bedroom.
Please remember to test your alarms regularly! Test the batteries in your alarm at least every 6 months or switch to a 10-year sealed battery alarms to eliminate the need for battery replacements for the life of the alarm.
Make an escape plan
Create a home escape plan (printable PDF) with your family. Draw a map of your home showing all the doors and windows, and remember it is important to know at least two ways out of every room. Include the kids so in the future if there is an emergency everyone will know where to exit and where to meet.
Teach your children how to escape on their own in case you can't help them.
Decide on a meeting spot outside (a safe distance away from your home). We picked the mailbox because it was easy for our kids to remember.
In an emergency once your outside at your meeting spot, call 911. If you do not have access to your phone, call from a neighbor’s house.
Going through this process we learned a lot about where to install fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and escape ladders in our home. I am so glad we practiced our home escape plan as a family. Our kids enjoyed drawing the layout of our house and adding all the doors and windows to their drawings.
*source: First Alert Research Report, June 2016 - results based on 1,000+ adult homeowner responses, ages 25 and older, living in the US).