Tips for Creating a Reliable Fire Escape Plan | SERVPRO of Sanibel/Captiva Island/Ft. Myers Beach

11/21/2023 (Permalink)

House fires happen when least expected and can be disastrous, but SERVPRO of Sanibel/Captiva Island/Ft. Myers Beach is here to help. Call us now!

No matter where you live in our community, suffering a house fire can be a disastrous and even dangerous experience. House fires can get out of control in minutes and engulf your entire property just as fast, so knowing how to get out of your home quickly is key.

Creating a fire escape plan that your whole family can understand and implement can keep everyone safe when a true emergency occurs. Follow the tips below for creating your own fire escape plan for your home.

Forming the Plan 

Grab a piece of paper and draw out a map of all of the rooms in your home. Then have your kids take you on a tour of your entire house and identify all of the exit points for each room. 

Make sure they understand that exiting a window may be necessary, but that windows should never be played with unless it is a true emergency and you need to get out fast. Once the exits are identified, head outside and choose a meeting location together that you can all get to quickly and safely. A mailbox or a tree in your neighbor’s yard across the street are both easy options. 

If you live in an apartment complex, you should still make a map of your home and locate the exits, but you also need to know how to evacuate the building itself. Since elevators are not a safe choice during an emergency, make sure your kids know where the stairwell is and the fire escape. A central meeting location outside your apartment complex is important to decide as well. 

Practicing the Plan  

Creating your fire escape plan is great, but putting it into action regularly is even better! Kids often learn better through experience and repetition, so practice different scenarios and have your kids doing different things in different rooms to simulate the unexpected. Push the test button on your smoke alarm and have your kids take you through their emergency exit strategies.

As they head toward their exits, have them get down on their bellies and army crawl or crawl on their hands and knees. This can help reinforce the idea to stay below the smoke line and to not breathe it in as they are getting out. Once you are all outside safety, simulate calling 911 and walk your kids through what to say to the dispatcher. 

Recovering After Disaster

No matter how a fire starts, it can lead to extraordinary amounts of damage. Entire levels or sections of your home may be decimated and the rest of your home could have significant smoke and soot residue. 

That’s where we come in! We understand the sensitive nature of recovering from a house fire, so we get right to work restoring, cleaning and repairing every damaged surface and part of your home. 

We will remove smoke odors, pull out damaged debris and rebuild sections of your home, and we will end our services with a final cleaning to make sure every surface has been restored back to its pre-fire condition. 

SERVPRO of Sanibel/Captiva Island/Ft. Myers Beach is here 24/7 to help you overcome a house fire. Call us right away for immediate assistance.