Do you have an exit plan for your home in case of a fire?
This week is National Fire Prevention Week, and this year’s theme is “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.”
Many youth at our area schools have taken part in fire drills as part of the week, but school is only one of the places they spend time at in a day.
Have you developed your plan in case of an emergency and have that communicated to everyone of all ages? When is the last time you’ve executed that safety plan so you have it down and aren’t panicking in the case of an emergency? Have you run that drill at both daytime hours and night time hours so you can see differences in your homes?
Do you have exit plans for every room, in case fire blocks one of the chosen paths?
Are there family members with mobility issues or other disabilities that may need assistance in the case of a fire? What is the plan to assist them?
Fire Prevention week is an ideal time to check that your smoke alarms are working properly as well. Do batteries need replacing?
Do you have a destination to meet outside your home that would be safely away from fire for everyone?
In this week’s issue of the newspaper, we also have photos of our area firefighters in both Lisbon and Mount Vernon. They are volunteers to help in cases of emergency, and they only benefit in doing their jobs by knowing the exit routes people may use in your house if someone is not accounted for. They are always on call and respond in the case of any emergency throughout our community, giving much of their time and energy to making sure their skills are honed and ready to go in emergencies.
Your life, the lives and safety of your loved ones are the most important things in the case of a fire. Possessions can be replaced. People can’t.
This Fire Prevention Week, take the time to come up with your exit drill for your home and practice that drill.