“Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and practice your escape.”
That’s the slogan from the NFPA for this year’s “National Fire Safety” event, held in October.
Some heroes, such as firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel, rush to dangerous situations. This comes after much training and education on how to handle these situations.
One way that you can be a hero is to formulate a plan of action should your home be attacked by fire. Of course, the main objective is to get everyone out safely, and a little planning and training of your own will help to accomplish that objective.
To properly plan for an emergency like this, each family member that can walk should be involved. Each person should know the best exits, how to open them, and a safe place for the family to meet that is far enough away from the house but out of the way of emergency personnel.
School-age children should be familiar with fire drills, as they have practiced them at school. To keep their minds at ease, make this a game and use some of the teaching tools found at www.nfpa.org. Teach them what your fire alarm sounds like, to stay calm, to stay low to the floor and to exit the house as quickly as possible.
You can create more confidence by providing flashlights to each member of the family. They should be kept by the bedside in easy reach. Instruct the kids that this is emergency equipment and should be left in place.
Many times the natural reaction of a child is to hide somewhere in what they consider to be a safe place. Of course, that is the wrong thing to do in a fire. Just a little training can save a life, and, in their eyes, you’ll be wearing a cape simply because you care.
A special thanks to all emergency personnel. Give them a wave when you see them, and remember that help is just around the corner at your local hardware store.
