When it comes to families, fires and planning for such emergencies, it is absolutely no laughing matter. Were you aware that 80% of Americans have no clue or idea that fires in the home are the solitary most frequent forms of catastrophe within the country? This subject is a very serious one and so we strongly urge each and every person that is reading this insight now to please continue and finish it all so you can understand better about how to plan a fire escape route for you and your loved ones.  Planning an effective escape route isn’t nearly as hard as you would think.  While it does require some thought, it’s nothing like planning the breach strategies used by swat teams.  Check out the video below for some great tips on planning out your escape route effectively.

Some more important facts that should prompt anyone with other loved ones in the home to sit down and carefully make an escape plan are, first of all, that only about 26% of families have ever actually practiced some form of fire escape plan.  This simply means that the majority of families across the nation have a greatly increased probability of chaos striking their homes if there were to be a fire today. The worst thing that can be left on a person’s conscience is losing a loved one because no plan to prevent it was in existence. Also, since the year 2000, organizations such as the Red Cross have answered and reacted to a 10% increase of home fires. This is certainly a cause for concern.

According to fire forensic statistics, Every two and a half hours across America, someone is killed in a house fire. There are numbers as high as 20,000 people who are hurt annually in some way because of home fires as well. Are you starting to see a pattern yet? Another disturbing fact is that elderly individuals and young children are doubly as likely to be killed in home fires rather than everyone in between those ages.

The only good fact we can provide you with now is that because of those who have smoke alarms in the home, they have just increased their chance of survival by half. Do you still think it’s unimportant to have a planned escape route?

TIPS TO PREPARE YOU:

Because smoke alarms can increase the chances of surviving a fire by half for you and your family, the first thing you should do is install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of the home and outside the bedrooms.  By doing this, everyone in the home, no matter where they are, should have no troubles hearing an alarm should they go off. Don’t forget to check the batteries of each alarm after 4 to 6 weeks. A smoke alarm will only be as good as the batteries inside it.

Next, be sure that everyone in your family is well-aware of at least two certain escape exits from their rooms and the home. Of course children who are two young will not be able to understand so you will have to compensate for them. You should be sure to practice the escape plan that you have created at least twice a year. This will likely not even be enough so you might consider doing a fire drill once a month to be sure. Be sure to include in your drill the method of crawling, checking for hot door knobs, breathing properly and also ensure that everyone applicable knows the emergency contact number(s).

Have escape ladders or other reliable methods as close to the bedrooms as possible or in any other areas you might deem necessary. Make sure everyone understands the concept behind stop, drop and roll if their clothes catch on fire. As soon as everyone gets out of the home make sure they know where to go and to stay there until an adult is with them.

Finally, if there is heat, flames or smoke that are obstructing the exit routes, teach everyone to remain in their rooms with the doors closed. If possible, get them to wet some material (such as a towel or shirt) and block the bottom of the door to keep smoke out. If there is a window in the room, be sure that everyone knows how to open it correctly or at least try to get the attention of someone outside the home so that they can be of some assistance.

Title: Fire Prevention Tips For The Home

Firefighters will often attend a fire and there is nothing that could have prevented a random series of events, which have caused a fire. However, there are other occasions when a few simple fire prevention measures may have made some or all of the difference and even saved lives.

Basics

There are a few basic things to remember to help avoid the worst. Always have at least one smoke alarm in the house that is regularly tested and in perfect working order. If your home has more than one level, install one on each level. Batteries should be replaced each year and the alarms themselves should be replaced every ten years.

Know your escape routes; don’t put your large bird cage in front of the only window that opens in the room or stand a heavy piece of tall furniture in front of it. Make sure no matter where you are in the house, you have a plan how to get out if something happens.

If you can, install sprinklers as adding them to the home in combination with the smoke alarms significantly increases the chances of surviving a fire.

Simple Steps

More than 3,400 Americans die in fires every year and another 17,500 are injured with most of these happening in the home. A major cause of fires in the home is electrical appliances. For example, overloading extension cords or circuits can be a simple cause of wire as well as placing the under rugs where a simple spark can cause a fire. If you plug an appliance in and it splutters, sparks or has an unusual smell, then unplug it and move it away from the power source.

Another major cause of fires, even small ones, can be items such as portable heaters or grills. Remember to leave enough space around these items for them work correctly and keep anything remotely flammable at least three feet distant.

If you have a fire and chimney in the house, make sure the chimney is cleaned regularly, as this is a potential cause when creosote builds up and can catch fire.

Special Events

Different parts of the country face different fire risks due to natural phenomena such as earthquakes. There are also some things to remember if you are in an area prone to quakes that may help avoid making a bad situation worse.

When an earthquake occurs, appliances and furniture can tip over which can cause things to spill. Keep an eye out for flammable liquids in particular such as gasoline, paint thinner and lighter fuel and always store such liquids well away from heat sources in case something unexpected happens.

Pools of water from leaking pipes or spilled water storage can become electrified if there has been a quake. Turn off the power from the main breaker at the first opportunity to allow you to check around the house.

If you lose power, always use a flashlight instead of a candle as if there has been a leak of some kind, a candle can ignite the gas. Make sure your smoke alarm has a backup battery installed in case you lose main power, so you still have your fire alarms active.