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Fire Safety and Evacuation
Residential fire is a leading cause of accidental death. Most fire
related deaths occur at night when occupants suffocate in their sleep
from smoke and toxic gases, rather than from burns. To help reduce
this risk, the following program should be implemented.
1. Minimize fire hazards. Smoking in bed, cleaning with flammable
liquids such as gasoline, leaving children home alone, and using
unsafe holiday decorations are some of the common causes of
household fire.
2. Install a fire alarm system. The
primary purpose of this system is to protect
lives by giving the earliest possible warning
of danger.
3. A smoke detector (indicated in the
figure by an inverted “s” in a circle) should be
provided to protect each sleeping area in a
home.
4. Practice an escape plan. Because there may be very little time
between detection of a fire and the time it becomes deadly, it is
important that every member of the family understand how to quickly
evacuate according to the plan.
Plan both primary and alternate escape
routes. Since stairwells and hallways may
be blocked during a fire, exiting through a
bedroom window must be a part of the
escape plan. If the sleeping area is above
the ground floor, install a means of safely
descending outside the building if one
does not already exist.
As a part of this plan, all family
members should arrange to meet
at a location away from the house
(such as a neighbor’s house) so
you will know that everyone is
accounted for.
If it is determined that the alarm was accidentally sounded, the bell
should be silenced, the detectors reset, and your security company
notified immediately that there is no emergency situation.
71-07374-000-B Users Guide.p65 08/21/2001, 1:06 PM31
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