Fire Safety: Exit Drills In The Home (E.D.I.T.H. Drill)
EXIT DRILLS IN THE HOME (E.D.I.T.H. Drill)
Every year loved ones die in home fires and thousands are injured. People can survive even major fires in their homes if they are alerted to the fire, get out quickly and stay out.
HOW TO SURVIVE
PLAN.....your escape. There is no time for planning after a fire occurs. Sit down with your family and make a step-by-step plan for escaping a fire.
DRAW A FLOOR PLAN of your home, marking two ways out of every room - especially sleeping areas.
Sample Exit Plan
Once you GET OUT, STAY OUT! Never return to a burning building. Get out fast; don’t stop for anything. The heat and smoke are overpowering, that is why you must NEVER re-enter your home for any reason. Fire fighters have the training, experience and protective equipment needed to enter burning buildings. If people or pets are trapped let the fire fighters know because we the have the best chance of rescuing them. Once you are outside, go directly to your meeting place.
MEETING PLACE, a pre-determined place outside your home where the members of your family will meet after escaping a fire. This allows you to account for the members in your family, and to inform the fire department if anyone is trapped inside the burning building. Make sure that your meeting place is a ver visible common place that everyone will remember.
PRACTICE your escape plan. Being familiar with your plan can help to reduce the confusion you might otherwise experience in a fire emergency. Make sure the bedroom windows open easily. If you must escape from the second floor, make sure there is a safe way to reach the ground.
PREPARE....Does everyone in your household know how to operate the locking mechanisms on the exit doors? Can they open windows quickly? If you live in a multi-family occupancy like an apartment building that has several floors do you know where all the exit are? Do you have smoke detectors outside every sleeping area and on every level of your home? Do you have a fire extinguisher? Remember fire safety and fire prevention is everyone's responsibility.
