How to Practice Fire Safety

Every family needs to practice fire safety. If your house or building ever catches on fire, your family members need to know what to do. Practicing fire safety can mean the difference between life and death. Practicing fire safety is easy to do, and you can even make it fun for the entire family.

Things You'll Need

• Fire safety plan
• Smoke detectors

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Instructions

• 1

  Install at least one smoke detector on each floor of your dwelling. Be sure to change the batteries every six months to make sure your smoke detectors are in good working order. Many fire stations will install smoke detectors in your home at no charge.

• 2

  Keep fire hazards out of children’s reach. Store matches and flammable materials on high shelves or keep them in a locked cabinet.

• 3

  Create a fire safety plan. Think through what each member of the family should do in the case of a fire. Teach children to feel the door to see if it is hot. If it is, go to the window. If it is not hot, then walk out of the house to a designated meeting place.

• 4

  Walk your family through the fire safety plan. People are much more likely to remember what to do in the case of a fire if they physically walk through the motions of what they are supposed to do. Rehearse what to do with each family member until each person can do his part of the fire safety plan unassisted.

• 5

  Teach your family what to do if their clothing catches on fire. This is called “stop, drop and roll.” Have each family member practice dropping to the floor, covering their faces with their hands and rolling around to put out imaginary flames.

• 6

  Instruct your family about staying close to the ground if a room is filling with smoke. More oxygen is available near the floor because smoke rises toward the ceiling. Have your family pretend that the room is filled with smoke and then practice crawling along the ground.

• 7

  Practice your family’s fire safety plan. Hold periodic fire drills when all family members are home. Sound the smoke detector and observe whether each family member follows the fire safety plan.