Best Practices for Forming a Home Fire Safety Plan Tuesday, October 08, 2019

When a fire starts in your home, it can leave you with barely any time to escape at all — in some cases, just one to two minutes, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

With so little time to react, it’s important to have a home fire safety plan in place for your residence in Plant City, Lakeland, Winter Haven, and other central Florida cities. Here are some tips and things to include for your residential fire safety plan.

Best Places to Install Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms or smoke detectors should be installed in various areas throughout your home. If you have multiple stories, there should be alarms on every level. There should also be an alarm inside each room where someone sleeps and in the hallway outside rooms as well. This can ensure that alarms will be heard and wake everyone up in the event of a house fire.

Make a Plan to Account for All Family Members

It’s also important that each member of the family knows how to get out of their rooms, whether it be through a window or a door. Ideally, there should be at least two escape routes from each room. If you have infants, disabled family members, or elderly family who will need assistance getting out if a fire happens, plan for someone else to be responsible for helping them get out of the house.

Don’t just make the plan and then forget about it. It’s recommended to practice this plan at least twice a year so it stays fresh in everyone’s mind and so people know what to do if they are abruptly awakened by a smoke alarm.

In your plan, set up a meeting place outside the home for everyone to gather that is a safe distance away from the building structure. That way, you can account for everyone in the family and ensure everyone made it out safely. If there is someone missing, do not go back into the house as it is unsafe to enter. Firefighters are trained in the best techniques to save someone from a burning structure.

Practice What to Do if You’re Trapped in a Room

You should also practice what to do if someone is trapped in a room. If the fire is right outside a room, it won’t be possible for them to get out through their door. They may need to get out through a window or buy themselves time by keeping the door closed and sealing door cracks with a towel or blanket. If they cannot climb out through the window, then make sure they can at least open their window so fresh air can enter the room.

In the event your home does sustain fire damage, we’re here to help.

At True Builders, we repair and restore homes that have sustained fire damage. Often, we can get homeowners and their families back into their homes much faster than other fire damage companies can. Our highly trained team members will quickly jump into action to help. If your home is caught up in flames, call us as soon as you can at (863) 647-1800 to begin fire restoration services.