How to Survive

• Install and maintain smoke detectors.
• Make an escape plan and practice it.
• Consider installing an automatic fire-sprinkler system

Plan Your Escape

• Draw a floor plan of your home
• Agree on a meeting place
• Practice your escape plan
• Make Your exit drill realistic

Be Prepared
Make sure everyone in the household can unlock all doors and windows quickly, even in the dark.

If you live in an apartment building, use stairways to escape. Never use an elevator during a fire.

If you live in a two-story house, and you must escape from a second-story window, be sure there is a safe way to reach the ground. People who have difficulty moving should have a phone in their sleeping area and, if possible, should sleep on the ground floor.

Test doors before opening them. While kneeling or crouching at the door, reach up and touch the door, the knob, and the space between the door and its frame with the back of your hand. If the door is hot, use another route. If the door is cool, open it with caution.

If you are trapped, close all doors between you and the fire. Stuff the cracks around the doors to keep out the smoke. Wait at a window and signal for help with a light colored cloth or flashlight. If there's a phone in the room, call the fire department and tell them exactly where you are.

Get Out Fast ...
In case of fire, don't stop for anything. Do not try to rescue possessions or pets. Go directly to your meeting place and then call the fire department from a neighbor's phone or an alarm box. Every member of your household should know how to call the fire department.

  Crawl low under smoke. Smoke contains deadly gases, and heat rises. During a fire, cleaner air will be near the floor. If you encounter smoke when using your primary exit, use your alternate escape plan. If you must exit through smoke, crawl on your hands and knees, keeping your head 12 to 24 inches above the floor.

... and Stay Out

Once you are out of your home don't go back for any reason. If people are trapped, the firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them.

Information from NFPA bulletin BR-8F