Home escape plans

[marcy]

What are your home escape plans? Have you tested them and if so, how often? From which rooms do you have emergency exits (and what floors are they)?

We started talking about that this week, as I was wanting to caulk up some windows and DH mentioned that would make it hard to get out of the window in an emergency. Our bedrooms are on the second floor which is three floors up from the driveway in the front, and two floors up from the backyard.

[marcy]

So, noone has a home escape plan set up? 17 views and no replies.

[Nichole]

No plan here. :shuffle: :blush1: :loser:

[marcy]

Well, then let's use this thread as a kick in the butt to plan something ... for the families that we talk about so happily on these threads.

Here is a starting link:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/safety/escape/

Here is a PDF that they provide:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/fswy9.pdf

[pam]

Thanks for bringing this up, Marcy. Definitely something that we have to figure out.

[Clare]

No escape plans here :dunno: We have a single story home with 4 doors, one outside our bedroom and one in the middle of the 3 kids bedrooms so I guess in a fire we'd just head to those doors.

[Karri]

Yep. No plans here. Aidan even came home from Safety Town this summer and after a fire drill at school a few weeks ago and asked if we had an escape route :shuffle: I know we need a rope ladder to toss out the window on the 2nd floor. And we need to figure out a plan. But we havent done anything aside from installing 6 smoke/fire detectors.

[Cami]

Last year Addison had to draw an escape map for preschool. In our old house, the kids' bedrooms were at one end of the house and we were at the other, separated by a bridge type hallway (does that make sense? I don't know what they're called, where they're open on either side.) But I always had a fear that the hallway would collapse and they'd be stuck in their rooms.

Our current house is smaller and the rooms closer together. But a lot of the windows on the second floor don't open (I know there's a word for that too :scratch: ) We keep the kids' doors open a bit at night but the doorknobs on the outside doors are too high for them to open. Plus the front door has to be unlocked with a key.

So basically, after thinking about all this, our house is a firetrap.

I don't think my kids are old enough to understand an "escape plan." The girls know "stop, drop, and roll" and to stay low in a fire. But they need to know not to hide if there's a fire.

[Jayne]

We watched Extreme home make over Sunday Night and both Dan and I said we need to work up a plan. Alyssa's room is at the end of a hallway all by herself. Although if need be we could bust through our wall into the hall and to her room. Problem is that all upstairs room window's open to the groud so they all would need a ladder. We hope to do some house improvements in the future and get those ladder's installed.
One step ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com/product/86203/71/117.html)
http://www.onestepahead.com/images//product/Detail_Main/02480.jpg

Right now our only option is one set of steps and that scares me. Now if we are down stairs we can pretty much get out anywhere. (we might have to break a window because they are painted shut (Dumb owners before us) But that will be solved soon also!

[Silke]

I am ashamed to admit that we don't have a plan either :shuffle: We have talked to Natascha about what to do in a fire. We have a rancher, so there are most likely just the front door, maybe the back door, or the window for an escape route.

[Nichole]

I think part of the reason we haven't done anything is because we're in a sprawling ranch-style house and our bedrooms are all on one end. We've got a sliding door out of our bedroom, so I assume that we'd just run and get the boys from their room and go out our door.

I'm actually more worried about being able to get our important stuff like pictures and files and stuff. That's on the other side of the house. I need to get organized about that.

[Barb]

Another one with no plan. I keep thinking, "we should get on that" and then we don't.

[Karri]

I'm actually more worried about being able to get our important stuff like pictures and files and stuff. That's on the other side of the house. I need to get organized about that.

We have those (all important files, paperwork, and backups of ALL digital photos from the beginning of time) in a safe deposit box at the bank :aok:

[Nichole]

Yeah, thanks for rubbing in what a slacker I am, Karri. :lol: Does it count that I have had it on my 'to do' list for almost a year? :lol:

[Jayne]

We have those (all important files, paperwork, and backups of ALL digital photos from the beginning of time) in a safe deposit box at the bank :aok:

That we have covered also. We have a copy of them all here and then another at my parents in a fire safe box!

[marcy]

OK, who else is on the "Two years later and I've done NOTHING for this" train?

:blush:

I take that back - we got a fire escape ladder - it's in our room... and I've never opened the box :( I will go do that now to make sure that it's just ready to go.

[marcy]

We have a "Fire Safety tips" list here:
1) Escape route planning
2) Windows are not stuck closed, screens can be removed, security bars can be opened
3) Second floor safety - escape ladders, and kids should practice using them
4) Feeling their way to safety - have kids practice feeling their way out w/ eyes closed
5) Know how to call 911 - practice on a unplugged phone
6) Smoke detector - how they work and their sound
7) Out means stay out - when out, don't go back inside (so kids don't go back in after other family members, pets, toys)
8) Check doors if they are hot
9) Stop, drop, and roll
10) Practice often - at least 2x a year.

[Karri]

Its Fire Safety Week. Is that what prompted you? :lol:

We've got no escape plan, but we will work on one ASAP. I just chaired/organized/ran the fire safety house (http://www.dps.state.vt.us/fire/trailer.htm) program for 1st & 3rd graders at our school (in conjunction w/ our town's FD), so Aidan's all hopped up on fire safety. So we're going to do it while its all fresh in his mind.

[magoo]

I'm actually more worried about being able to get our important stuff like pictures and files and stuff. That's on the other side of the house. I need to get organized about that.
You honestly wouldn't care. I can practically guarantee it.

Our smoke detectors went off in the middle of the night several months ago. It was the single most scary moment of my life. All we thought of was grab the kids and get the hell out. Fortunately, they just went off becuase the one outside our bedrooms stopped working (just due to age, we think) and since they are wired together, they all went off to warn us.

Since then, I've thought of those times when people ask what you would take if your house was on fire and you only had time to grab 3 things. Before, I would have answered things like my scrapbooks, wedding pictures, important documents etc. Now, the three things are 1) Anna 2) Jacob 3) Eric. Nothing else. I'm not sure what happens when the baby comes... maybe poor Eric gets demoted. :lol:

[magoo]

:heee: Didn't realise that this thread is two years old. I probably wouldn't have quoted Nichole had I known... sorry. :blush1:

Oh, and I didn't mention in my other post that we just got all new smoke/CO detectors after the one stopped working. They should be replaced every 10 years, though ours didn't even last that long.

[gulp!]

Your point is still valid though, Sarah. :thumbsup:

Every 10 years? Really? I didn't know that, but then again, this house is the longest I've ever lived anywhere, so I guess we always moved before it came up. :lol:

We don't have an official plan, but we do have a fire escape ladder in K's bedroom (and the windows open and the screens pop out) and our important documents in a fire proof safe. However, we're upstairs from the kids, so if we were blocked by the fire, I don't think they'd be able to get the ladder out the window and get down it. :(

[marcy]

Those of you with bedrooms on the second floor, have you had the kids (or even yourself) try to get out using the fire escape ladder? I'd feel silly doing that in the front of the house, so we should even try the back (less neighbors to see us, but that's so silly to be concerned about.).

Yes, 10 years for smoke alarms. When we moved in we replaced them and they were very old.

[Karri]

Sarah - you're so very right. One of the things stressed is that you should not grab anything except yourself and your child. Just get out. You should not even go looking for a pet. :nono:

Other things they stressed w/ the kids were that you should have an escape plan and meeting place and you should practice. Practice it w/ scenarios (watching tv, sleeping in bed, playing in X room, etc). Make sure you know 2 ways out of every room in your house.
Make absolutely sure that kids know to stay low in smoke. One of the props that I was showing the kids was this real telephone that had been sitting on a nightstand. The cord was hanging down. The phone was totally melted and mangled. The cord that was by the ground was totally fine. I explained that there was no fire in the bedroom - that was merely from the heat of a fire in another room. I stressed how the air near the ground was much cooler and if you breathe in hot air up high, you will essentially melt your lungs just like the phone melted.

Here's a site that links you to some good interactive and educational fire safety sites for kids: http://www.toadspad.net/safety/toad-safety-kids.html

[Karri]

Those of you with bedrooms on the second floor, have you had the kids (or even yourself) try to get out using the fire escape ladder? I'd feel silly doing that in the front of the house, so we should even try the back (less neighbors to see us, but that's so silly to be concerned about.).
.

We will be getting a ladder and then we'll be practicing our plan. I have no issues trying it in front of anyone. I'd rather be safe than look silly :dunno:

[Lynn]

We will be getting a ladder and then we'll be practicing our plan. I have no issues trying it in front of anyone. I'd rather be safe than look silly :dunno:
And hopefully prompt others to ask "What are you doing?"! :up:

Aaron knows that we would meet on the corner but we've never really talked about getting out. I need to change the batteries in our SDs because right now one of them is hanging open without a battery in it. Ours are so sensitive (which really is a good thing!) that even baking at 400+ degrees makes them go off. Drives me insane but I'd rather be insane than dead.

[LISA]

Funny this thread popped up today..I called my mother this morning only to have her hand the phone over to a fireman that was there at 8 in the morning :eek: her carbon monoxide detector went off he said the readings were VERY high and that she is lucky that the detector went off to warn her :eek: I was thinking of sending Paige to sleep over last weekend because I had to work..I am agonizing my self with the "what if I had" thoughts all day :( she had to clear out of the house for an hour while it aired out, the gas company did a check up etc..but I came home and made sure our CO detector works and the smoke alarms have new batteries.. I plan on getting Paige to look over that website Karri posted too..

[kalm]

I just got back from visiting my 89 year old nearly deaf grandmother. Five minutes after we got to her house, her smoke detector started going off. I took it down and opened it up when I couldn't shut it off. The battery was flame hot. We replaced the battery the next day and watched it all weekend and it seemed to be okay. I know the dectector is only 3 years old because we replaced it when we were there in October 2005. At that time, she said it didn't need to be replaced because it wasn't that old. Til Scott found a manufacturers stamp showing it was made in 1979. :lol:

We do have a plan for the kids and have taught the big ones how to open the window and pop out the screen, climb out and which neighbors to go to and wait for everyone else (and call 911).

[marcy]

We will be getting a ladder and then we'll be practicing our plan. I have no issues trying it in front of anyone. I'd rather be safe than look silly :dunno:

And I should as well. Thanks for the virtual smack :)

I unpacked the fire safety ladder that we have, to see how you mount it on the window. It's only meant to be used once - so you are cautioned to do the "setup" part but not the climbing down it part. I don't know if all are like that - ours is a 2 story one, by Kidde, we got it at Lowes or HD.