Be Ready to Get Out Fast
In a fire or other emergency, you may need to evacuate your house, apartment, or mobile home on a moment's notice. To develop an escape plan:
- Draw a floor plan of your residence. If your home has more than two floors, use an additional sheet of paper to map out other floors.
- Using a black or blue pen, show the location of doors, windows, stairways, and large furniture.
- Indicate the location of emergency supplies (Disaster Supplies Kit), fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, collapsible ladders, first aid kits, and utility shut-off points.
- Use a colored pen to draw a broken line charting at least two escape routes from each room.
- Mark a place outside of the home where household members should meet in case of fire.
Be sure to include important points outside, such as garages, patios, stairways, elevators, driveways, and porches.
Practice emergency evacuation drills with all household members at least two times each year.