Escape Planning
In 2013, there were an estimated 369,500 reported home structure fires and 2,755 associated civilian deaths in the United States.
Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds. Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. Also, mark the location of each smoke alarm. For easy planning, download NFPA’s escape planning grid (PDF, 1.1 MB). This is a great way to get children involved in fire safety in a non-threatening way. (Shared from the NFPA website.)
Please also be sure that you and your children visit our Just For Kids page as we have some great educational materials there.
Emergency Preparedness
Pre-planning for emergencies can help you and your family survive and cope with a disaster. By preparing in advance and working together as a team, creating a family disaster plan including a communication plan, disaster supplies kit, and an evacuation plan. Knowing what to do is your best protection!
There are actions that should be taken before, during and after an event that are unique to each hazard. Identify the hazards that have happened or could happen in your area and plan for the unique actions for each.
Below are some websites that can assist you in preparing!
www.emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness