Not all house fires are created equal. Some might be small, contained, and easy to manage. Others can quickly turn into a raging inferno that spreads throughout the entire home. If you find yourself in one of these situations, there’s no time to waste. You need to act fast if you want to survive it. That’s why we compiled this list of fire safety tips for escaping a house fire—so that you know exactly what steps to take if your home becomes engulfed in flames.
Extinguish The Fire
If the fire is small and you can quickly extinguish it, use a fire extinguisher. If you do not have one, use a blanket or coat to smother the fire. The last resort is wet towels or blankets as well as wearing a heavy coat to put out smaller fires. Cover the edge of the door with a wet blanket to prevent smoke from entering the room.
Crawl Under The Flames To Escape
If you are trapped in a house fire, the best way to escape is to crawl beneath the flames. Cover your nose and mouth with a cloth, and then crawl out of the area. If you are on the ground floor of your house, crawl until you find an exit door that leads outside. If there is no exit door nearby, then move toward an upper window in order to break through it.
Check your doors and door knobs for heat. If the door is hot, don’t open it. Open it slowly if the knob is cool to the touch. Do not use the door as a shield to protect yourself against smoke or flames, because they may cause you harm while trying to escape through them.
Go To A Safe Place
- If you can, call 911. If you’re able to get out of the house, do so immediately.
- Get out of the house, building, or neighborhood as quickly as possible. Never re-enter a burning building once you’ve escaped it; even if it’s been several minutes and appears safe from flames and smoke because there is no visible sign of fire.
Stop, Drop, And Roll
This is a technique that you should know when it comes to escaping house fires. It’s also something that firefighters use to put out fires. Stop, drop and roll is the most effective way of surviving a fire if you can’t get out of the building or room that’s on fire.
You should try this technique if your clothes catch on fire by an open flame in a place where there are no sprinklers or alarms going off. These are just some of the basic tips to escape a house fire.For more information on our fire protection and safety services, contact Edison Fire Protection Company today at 1-800-222-9338.
