Emergency Evacuation Plans
The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you establish an emergency evacuation plan to safeguard lives in the event of a fire or other emergency. Use the following steps as a guide.
Draw a floorplan of your home or business
On a clean sheet of paper, draw the walls, windows, doors, and stairs. Also draw any obstacles that a person may encounter while exiting the building such as large furniture or appliances.
Develop escape routes
Determine at least two routes the occupants in each room can take to safely escape. One route can be the most obvious such as the door. Another can be through a window that can be easily opened. If the window is high off the ground, an escape ladder should be provided.
Draw arrows on the floorplan to show escape routes from each room.
Decide where to meet
Prearrange a meeting place outside and away from where emergency personnel are likely to be working. A neighbor's house or across the street in the front of the house are good locations. Always perform a head count to make sure all occupants safely exited. NEVER ENTER A BURNING BUILDING. If the head count shows one or more persons missing, give this information immediately to the authorities. Never enter a building to look for someone.
Practice your escape plans
Devising an escape plan is only the beginning, before the plan can be effective everyone should practice the escape routes from each room.
iv
First Floor | Second Floor |
| Fire Escape |
| Window Ladder |
Building Front | Building Back |
Early detection
The best way to survive a fire or other emergency is to get out early. The installation of a fire alarm system, with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in each room, can greatly decrease your risk of loss or injury.