Photoelectric Smoke Detectors – The First Step In Your Fire Escape Plan
If a fire ignited within your home tonight, how would you and your family escape safely without injury. Are you prepared for such an event? The best prevention and protection against such things is to develop a home fire escape plan. If you're unsure what this involves, read on for our 7 step guide. It's simple, straight forward an effective.
1) Install and ensure all photoelectric smoke detectors within the home are functional. Besides changing the battery once every 12 months, it's also important to test the smoke detector on a monthly basis to ensure proper working order. All photoelectric smoke detectors should contain a button that allows you to test the alarm. If you cannot find the button, consult the manufacturers guide for further information.
2) Draw up a floor plan of your home and plot it out upon grid paper. If you live in a multistory building or block of units, you'll need to draw up a plan for each level of the building and distribute this to each member of the family.
3) On the floor plan you will want to note 2 emergency exits for every room of the home. It is often the case that when a home fire occurs, the doors can be blocked from possible escape due to the fire. Windows are naturally your second method of escape. If you have installed security shutters or security bars, ensure these have a quick release function that can be used from within the house.
4) Who might need assistance escaping? If you have elderly or sick parents living with you and/or younger children who are unable to walk, it's important to plan out who will assist them in the time of an emergency. You can save time in an emergency by placing people at higher risk, in rooms that are closer to escape exits.
5) Decide on a place to meet outside. Select an area where roll-call can be taken that is within walking distance from your home. Ideally this should be a friends or neighbors home. Everyone needs to be aware that this is the place to congregate at, in the event of a fire.
6) Contact the fire brigade once you have evacuated the home. Don't stop to make the call within the home or while on the way out as you'll lose focus and may panic. You could put yourself at risk of injury or death. Furthermore, do not stop to collect personal belongings or other items while exiting the building. The fire department can assist you in removing these items once the fire has been extinguished.
7) Practice your escape plan. With everyone present, go through the escape plan step by step, ensuring each member of your family understands what to do in the event of a fire. Schedule a fire drill once per year to refresh this in every ones mind.
Remember! Identify 2 ways of escaping each room, hold a fire drill once per year and ensure your photoelectric smoke detectors are installed and working correctly.
