Every Second Counts, Plan 2 Ways Out!
Fire Prevention Week Oct. 8-14, 2017
by Sublette County Unified Fire
October 10, 2017
You and your family are fast asleep when the smoke alarm sounds: Do you know what to do?
Consider this scenario: It’s 2 o’clock in the morning. You and your family are fast asleep when you awaken to the smoke alarm sounding and the smell of smoke. What do you do? If you and your family don’t have a plan in place, it could jeopardize your safety, or even prove deadly.
In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. That’s why home escape planning is so critical in a fire situation. It ensures that everyone in the household knows how to use that small window of time wisely.
"Developing and practicing a home escape plan is like building muscle memory," said Shad Cooper, Fire Chief for Sublette County Unified Fire. "That pre-planning is what everyone will draw upon to snap into action and escape as quickly as possible in the event of a fire."
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, "Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!" works to better educate the public about the critical importance of developing a home escape plan and practicing it. Sublette County Unified Fire is working in coordination with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to reinforce those potentially life-saving messages.
In support of Fire Prevention Week (October 8-14, 2017), Sublette County Unified Fire encourages all households in Sublette County to develop a home escape plan together and practice it. A home escape plan includes working smoke alarms on every level of the home, in every bedroom, and near all sleeping areas. It also includes two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window, with a clear path to an outside meeting place (like a tree, light pole, or mailbox) that’s a safe distance from the home. "Home escape planning is one of the most basic but fundamental elements of home fire safety, and can truly make the difference between life and death in a fire situation," Cooper explained.
Sublette County Unified Fire offers these additional tips and recommendations for developing and practicing a home escape plan:
• Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
• Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
• Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
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