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WorldExecutivesDigest.com | What to do if a fire breaks out in your home? | The most important thing to do concerning fire breaking out in your home is to plan ahead! That will make your response much simpler if a fire should ever occur. This is especially important if you have children.
Make A Plan
When a fire happens you’ll find that your home quickly fills with smoke. This will make it hard to breathe and hard to navigate. You, and your family, may start to panic.
This can lead to poor decisions and even result in people not getting out alive when they should. That’s why it’s essential you make a plan today. You should consider all the exit points from each room and which route each family member should take to get out.
If you have children only one family member should check on them, the others should simply get out and call the emergency services.
A plan will help you know exactly where to go and what to do, even if you can’t see anything.
Prevention
You should also take the time to fit smoke alarms, at least one per level. In addition, fire curtains can help to prevent the spread of a fire, giving you more time to get out.
When A Fire Does Happen:
The first thing you’ll hear is the smoke alarm that you’ve fitted. This will alert you to the fact there is a fire. You’ll want to alert other household members straight away, they can make their way to the exit points while you grab the fire extinguisher.
You can then head towards the source of the fire, make sure you touch every door with the back of your hand before opening it. If it’s hot there is a fire on the other side and you may be in danger if you open the door.
If the fire is small you can put it out with the extinguisher and assess the damage.
If it’s not small then you need to get out and contact the emergency services.
Do not collect any personal belongings and never go back inside the house once you’ve got out.
It’s a good idea to alert your neighbors, especially if the property is attached. They may want to exit their home to be on the safe side.
Think of anything you have in your home that may be explosive such as a gas canister. The fire service will be grateful if they are told about this before they go in.
Don’t forget that on the way out, if there is a lot of smoke, stay low to the ground. Fire smoke rises leaving clean air close to the ground. Wrapping a cloth around your face and staying low will reduce the amount of smoke you inhale.
If possible as you leave, close all doors and windows behind you. This will reduce the amount of oxygen available for the fire and slow it’s spread.
No one wants to experience a house fire but, by taking being prepared you can avoid it being a disaster.
