How to Make a Home Fire Escape Plan?

Should we make home fire safety plans? Why is a home fire escape plan needed? The basic need or importance of having a home fire safety plan is to ensure the safety of family members during fire emergencies. According to the law stated in Section 2.8 of the Ontario Fire Code, everyone should have a home fire escape plan and be familiar with escape routes in the event of a fire.  

Considering another perspective, as a parent, you cannot just leave your kids home alone without any fire exits, safety measures, or home fire safety plans. To keep your kids safe and feel secure for yourself, you need to make fire escape plans for your home. By adhering to the simple instructions provided, you can accomplish this in no time. Read on to learn more about how to make fire escape plans for your home.

Why Should You Make Fire Escape Plans?

Based on what caused the blaze and the material involved, the fires could be fast or slow. These fires could occur at any time of the day, leaving you unaware of the situation, especially in cases of slow fires. This is the main reason why you should make home fire safety plans. You hardly get time to escape the building or your home once the smoke alarm sounds. So, not having fire alarm systems could end up causing much more casualties.

As mentioned previously, Section 2.8 of the Ontario Fire Code mandates the development of fire safety escape plans. From the fundamental goal of ensuring the safety of the residents, you could prevent your home from catching massive fires and ultimately being destroyed. In addition to home fire safety escape plans, you may also install fire safety measures to safeguard our lovely residence.

What Are the Common Causes of Home Fires?

People’s hectic lifestyles cause them to be careless about leaving appliances and other items on. This reckless behaviour is responsible for the majority of home fires. Here are some of the most common causes:

• Home appliances: Any appliance or gadget that may produce heat, such as heaters, dryers, stoves, etc., could start a home fire if left unattended. Among these appliances leaving cooking appliances unattended is the most cause of home fires.

• Electrical appliances: Appliances that use electricity have the potential to start a house fire. Home fires brought on by electrical devices could be caused due to improper grounding, loose wires, and poorly linked circuits.
• Candles: Candles come with labels reminding customers that they should never leave them burning unattended. However, candles often become the primary cause of house fires.
• Smoking: Cigars, if discarded improperly or left unattended, can start smouldering fires in the home.
• Holiday decorations: Candles, Christmas lights, and other ornaments that draw electricity from an electrical outlet fall under the umbrella term “holiday decorations” here. Leaving them unattended could initiate home fires. 
• Lightning: Homes built in forested locations are more susceptible to lightning strikes. Given that it is easier to start a fire in wooded places, a home built in the woods is more likely to catch fire.
• Chemicals: Natural gas or propane gas sources have the potential to start house fires. Improper mixing of these substances could result in a house fire.

How to Make a Home Fire Safety Escape Plan?

The aforementioned reasons are more than enough to persuade you to create a fire safety escape plan. In fact, it ought to be one of the first tasks you complete after constructing your dream house. Together with the family members, you can create a detailed fire safety escape plan. The following are the steps to creating a home fire safety escape:

• The first step in developing a home fire escape plan is to consider the structure of your property. Drawing a schematic diagram of your home with all the exits, windows, and doors marked will help you create an effective safety escape plan.
• Make sure you have at least two ways out of each and every room.
• The next step is to pick a secure gathering spot outside the house where family members can gather.
• In the event that you are unable to escape, find a safe and secure location inside the house.
• Let everyone in the family become familiar with the home’s fire escape plan.

To ensure that everyone can swiftly exit during emergencies, it is advisable to practise the fire escape route with your family. You may perform this exercise up to twice a year, using a different strategy each time.

You may also like to read:

• How to Install and Test Emergency Lights
• Where to Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors?
• What Do You Use to Put Out an Electrical Fire?
• How to Change the Battery in Your Smoke Detector

Tips for Home Fire Escape Plans

The following are some pointers for creating a fire escape plan for your home:

• You may start by drawing a floor plan for your home with your family. Determine the total number of exits and create an escape plan for your home in case of a fire.
• Consider the number of youngsters and old persons who may find it challenging to escape during a fire emergency when creating your escape plans.
• Closing the door would keep home fires from getting worse. Give specific instructions to the family members, such as closing doors while exiting each emergency exit.
• Install safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and smoke alarms.
• It is best advised to make a home fire escape plan that includes a meeting place outside the house. It’s also a good idea to pick a place inside the house to meet up in case you can’t get out.
• Make sure that everyone memorises the fire department’s phone number by placing it in a prominent place.
• You may assign a person to take care of the elderly and young ones who cannot escape alone. So, keep things clear and make sure that everyone in the family is protected.

In Short

People often neglect the necessity of installing fire emergency measures and making home fire escape plans, as they could be prevented to a certain extent. As previously noted, a number of things, like leaving household appliances, candles, cigars, natural gas, etc. unattended, can result in home fires. With the aid of fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, etc., these flames can be quickly put out or brought under control. However, it is always advisable to create a home fire escape plan.

In the event of massive fires, home fire escape plans can be of great help. Making fire escape plans should ideally take into account the number of children and the elderly struggling to find their way out. To ensure everyone is secure, you can also put emergency measures in specific common locations. In response to the growing need for fire safety precautions, Tasfire Protection provides top-notch service for installing fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and others. You can also benefit from other top-notch, expertly performed services in fire protection and equipment maintenance.