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Home Escape Planning
When planning your escape from home, here's what you can do:
Here's what people can do to reduce the arson risk:
- Be sure you have a working smoke alarm outside every sleeping area and on every level of your home. Talk to your kids and let them hear the sound they make by testing them, so they know what to expect in a fire emergency.
- Put it down on paper. Draw out your home escape plan with the entire family. Be sure to mark the escape routes clearly and have two ways out of every room.
- Walk through the house to demonstrate ways out and clear items away from exit routes. Be sure everyone can open the doors and windows. Create a buddy system for small infants or elderly who need help to exit the home.
- Choose a meeting place that everyone can remember. Under no circumstances should anyone ever go back into a burning building.
- Be sure all family members know the emergency number in your area so any one can go to a neighbour's house to call for help once everyone is out.
- Make sure your house numbers are a contrasting colour to the house and visible from the street.
- Practice your plan at least twice a year. Sound the alarm and see if everyone follows the plan. Be sure to practice it during the day for the first time. After that, tell the kids you are going to test them at night. Try a weekend just after the kids are asleep. If they do not even wake up, put the buddy system into place so you know they can get out for sure. Everyone should be out in under a minute.
Here's what people can do to reduce the arson risk:
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OUTDOORS
- Install motion activated lights.
- Keep shrubs and trees trimmed and avoid excess brush in the yard.
- Store and dispose of flammable materials safely such as garbage, leaves, bulky waste like furniture or mattresses.
- Report suspicious activity to police.
- Keep door, window, fence and gate locks in good repair.
- Join or start a neighbourhood watch program in your area.
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INDOORS
- Home escape plan, emergency numbers.
- Alarm system, smoke alarms.
- Clear clutter, keep exit paths clear.
- Keep flammable liquids locked away outside the home in the garage or shed.
- Don't allow mail to accumulate.
- Be sure your smoke alarms are working.
Last update:
February 17, 2016