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Important Fire/Emergency Safety Information
Be prepared for fire emergencies:
Plan Your Escape
• Draw a floor plan of your home.
• Show two ways out of each room.
• Discuss escape routes with everyone in your home.
• Agree on an outside meeting place where you will gather after escaping.
Be Prepared
• Familiarize every member of the household with the sound of the smoke, CO
and heat alarms.
• Have everyone in the home memorize the fire department’s emergency
phone number.
• Instruct each person to call the emergency number from a neighbor’s
phone or a mobile phone used outside the home.
• Teach everyone to unlock and open all windows, and release security bars.
• Make sure security bars are equipped with quick-release devices.
• Keep exits clear and free from furniture and clutter.
Practice!
• Hold home fire drills at least twice a year.
Get Out and Stay Out
• Once you have escaped from a fire, do not go back inside for any reason.
• Make fire drills realistic by pretending some escape paths are blocked by
smoke or fire.
If you live in an apartment building
• Learn and practice your building’s evacuation plan.
• If you hear a fire alarm, react immediately.
• Know the location of all building exits and fire alarm boxes.
• Use the stairs ... never use an elevator during a fire.
• If exits are locked or blocked, report the problem to your building’s
management.
Escape Tips
• Close doors behind you as you escape to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
• If you have to escape through smoke, crawl on your hands and knees, keeping
your head one to two feet above the floor, where the air will be clearest.
• Test the doorknob and spaces around the door with the back of your hand. If
the door is warm, try another escape route. If the door is cool, open it slowly.
Close it quickly if smoke pours through.
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