At it’s core, Detector Inspector promotes fire safety procedures in the home. While it’s undoubtedly important to maintain smoke alarms that are properly installed, correctly located and operating, it’s equally important to know what to do next if an alarm does sound.
One of the most important safety measures that any tenant can take is to develop a fire escape plan.
Developing a fire escape plan is simple and can be surprisingly fun. Here are a few tips to consider when making your fire escape plan.
- Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. A good idea is to mark two ways out of each room so if one is blocked, the other can be used. This can be a great interactive game to get children involved in, and will also help them learn. When you plan, make sure the escape routes are clear and doors and windows can be easily opened.
- Choose an outside meeting place. Any simple landmark will do, such as a neighbour’s house, a light post, a mailbox or a street sign. When you go outside you should also check if your street number is clearly visible from the road. If not, paint it on the curb or instal house numbers to ensure that responding emergency personnel can find your home.
- Practice your fire escape plan twice a year to get comfortable with the routine and ensure you have a clear head if that moment ever does come. While this may seem burdensome, it can actually be a great game. You might start in your bed and place a blindfold on and practise escaping by crawling, being in the dark and finding your nearest exit.
Hopefully your smoke alarms never sound and your fire escape plan is never used, but if they do, your ability to escape from a fire will depend on them!
