Continued: Fire in the Home

 Every family or occupant of a home should create a plan of evacuation from their home in the event of a fire and practice this evacuation plan as much as possible. The plan should have at least two ways for family members to exit the house from their bedrooms and once safely outside, one central location for all meet and stay until help arrives.

The answer to the question of “what you should do if your house is on fire?” is simple, stay calm and get you and your family out of the building as quickly as possible. A burning fire will double its size every thirty seconds, the smoke created from that growing fire is super-heated, very toxic and will kill you faster than the actual fire will. Your quick actions in evacuating are essential to your survival.

Once you are safely outside call 911 from either a neighbor’s telephone or by a cellular telephone. Stay on the phone until the 911 operator tells you to hang up. Do not re-enter the house for any reason.

If your home is on fire and you are unable to evacuate, stay calm and call 911 for help. Tell the operator where you are in the house and stay there unless you absolutely can’t. If you must move to a safer spot always try to move to a room that has a window to the outside. Avoid going to seek safety in bathrooms and closets. Once you are in a safer room, shut any doors that may be between you and where the fire is, this will help slow down the spread of a growing fire. Place towels, clothes, or anything else that will fill the cracks around the door from allowing the smoke to enter the room that you are in.

Go to a window, open it and scream for help. If you are unable to get the window open, break it carefully and hang a bed sheet or other “flag” out the window to show people on the outside of your house where you are. Remember to keep close to the floor where the cleaner air is and stay by the window until help arrives and gets you out. The more information on where you are in the house you give the 911 operator, the faster we can find you!

Preventing fires in your home is smart; practicing a home evacuation plan with your family is wise. It also may save the lives of your loved ones in the event of a fire.

Lieutenant Pete Williams is a certified Arborist with Brooks Barber Tree Management and has been a member of the Fort Washington Fire Company since 1987.