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Hornell City Fire Department
Exit Drills In The
Home
Why E.D.I.T.H.?
- Most fatal home fires happen
between midnight and 8 a.m. when most people
are asleep.
- Toxic gases and heat - over
1000° F. - rise and can travel far ahead
of the actual flames.
- When your smoke detector
sounds, you may have less than 2 1/2 minutes
to get out. Without an escape plan you have
practiced, you may not make it.
- If you don't have a smoke
detector, you may never wake up.
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1-Planning your escape
Draw an outline of your home
or apartment. Make a drawing for each floor
where people sleep. Dimensions don't need to
be exact.
Now add each bedroom and label
it. Show important details: stairs, hallways,
roofs that could be used as a fire escape.
Choose a family meeting place
and show it on the plan.
Check each bedroom for the
best window or door for an emergency escape.
Test windows - make sure they
open easily and are large enough and low enough.
Can the children open them?
While you're at it, check
your smoke detector. If you don't have one,
get one.
Use blue or black arrows to
show the normal way out, such as the stairs
or hall.
Use different colored arrows
to show emergency exits in case fire blocks
your normal route.
Some Tips
- Be sure everyone has a second
way out.
- Escape ladders may be necessary.
- Any security devices should
open easily. In a fire you might not be able
to find a key.
- Rearrange bedrooms, if necessary,
to provide easier escape for children, elderly
or disabled.
- Never use elevators if there's
a fire.
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2-The family meeting
- Discuss your plan
and these procedures with your family:
- Always sleep with bedroom
doors closed. This will keep heat and
smoke out for a short time - the few extra
minutes you may need to escape.
- Find a way for everyone
to sound a family fire alarm. Blow a whistle,
pound on walls, yell, etc.
- In a fire, seconds count.
Don't waste time dressing or looking for
valuables or pets. As much as they may
mean to you, your life is more important.
- Roll out of bed. Stay
low. Just one breath of smoke or hot gases
can kill you.
- Feel the door. If the
door or doorknob is hot, don't open it!
Instead, use your second way out.
- Once outside, go to
your family meeting place. Check to see
if everyone is safe. Once you're out,
stay out.
- Call the fire department
from a neighbor's house. If you use a
street alarm box, wait there to direct
the fire department to the fire location.
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3-The drill
- Begin with everyone in
his or her bed.
- Sound the alarm. Press the
smoke detector test button. Yell FIRE! or
use some other signal.
- Everyone should roll out
of bed, stay low and feel the door for heat.
First time: use the normal
exit. Brace your shoulder against the door and
open it slowly, ready to shut it quickly if
there is heat or smoke.
Second time: pretend doors
are hot. Everyone must use the second way out.
- Gather at meeting place
and check that everyone is out.
- Appoint someone to simulate
calling the fire department.
- Get together to talk about
the drill. Make changes to the plan if necessary
and rehearse them.
- Hold a family escape drill
every few months - at least twice a year.
The more you practice, the better you will
be able to act quickly
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