Plan and rehearse your escape from a home fire

Make sure all family members know what to do in the event of a fire. Draw a floor plan with at least two ways of escaping every room. Make a drawing for each floor. Dimensions do not need to be correct. Make sure the plan shows important details: stairs, hallways and windows that can be used as fire escape routes. Conduct a family meeting and discuss the following topics: 1. Always sleep with the bedroom doors closed. This will keep deadly heat and smoke out of bedrooms, giving you additional time to escape. 2. Find a way for everyone to sound a family alarm. Yelling, pounding on walls, whistles, etc. Practice yelling "FIRE!" 3. In a fire, time is critical. Don't waste time getting dressed, don't search for pets or valuables. Just get out! 4. Roll out of bed. Stay low. One breath of smoke or gases may be enough to kill.