GUELPH/ERAMOSA – During Fire Prevention Week, which runs Oct. 5 to 11 this year, it is important to revisit and refresh some fire safety basics.
A fire escape plan, or home escape plan, is one of the most important fire safety tools – and it should be regularly revisited to ensure a smooth and safe exit in the event of a fire.
“Everyone, like every household, should have a home escape plan,” said Guelph/Eramosa Fire Chief Jim Petrik.
“It’s designed to formulate a plan in case something happens so that all the members of the family know how to deal with the situation and how to get out safely and quickly.”
Even those living alone should take the time to formulate an escape plan to ensure a smooth and timely exit in the event of an emergency.
There are four steps to complete a fire escape plan.
Step one: draw a floor plan of your home. A floor plan of each level of your home should be drawn and should include all windows, doors and stairways. Make note of any ledges such as the roof of a garage or porch that could assist in your escape.
Step two: determine who will need assistance. Infants, young children, the elderly and those with disabilities will most likely need help executing the plan. It is important to decide who will be assisting who as to avoid any confusion in the event of an emergency.
Step three: choose a designated meeting place at least 15 meters from the home.
“That’s really critical because there’s lots of instances where an emergency has occurred, there’s a fire in the home and people get out and don’t know where to go,” said Petrik.
“There’s uncertainty about whether everyone has gotten out and people will go back in to try and find people thinking they haven’t gotten out and then they succumb to the fire.
“We’ve experienced that in our community as well before. It’s really tragic.”
Step four: practice, practice, practice.
“Most important is to go over the fire escape plan routinely,” said Petrik. “Just to refresh everyone’s memory about the best way to get out.”
Home escape plans should be practiced at least twice a year. Petrik advises those with a plan to post it somewhere in the house where everyone can see it.
In the event of an emergency and the escape plan needs to be used, it is important to remember not to call 911 until everyone is safely outside of the home. Calling 911 before or during evacuation wastes valuable time that could be the difference between life and death.
In the event that escape is not possible, call 911 immediately.
Asked what fire safety tools are beneficial to have in homes, Petrik said the number one tool is a working smoke alarm.
“The vast majority of fire related deaths occur in homes where there are not working smoke alarms,” he said. “It’s the first indication that there is a fire, and it’s a tool that gives you the most time to activate your fire escape plan and get out safely.”
A detailed home escape plan template is available at get.on.ca/living-here/home-escape. The printable template is offered in both French and English.
