← Residential Fire Safety: Before, During, and After

Lesson 3: Before a Fire: Detect and Plan

Smoke alarms that work, and an escape plan you have actually practiced.

Lesson 03

Before a fire Part 2 of 2: detect and plan about 9 minutes

Residential Fire Safety

Before a fire: detect and plan

Alarms that work, and an escape plan you have actually practiced.

Lesson

03 of 05

Focus

Detection + planning

Lesson 03 · Detect and plan

Why alarms matter

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Key fact · Detection

The highest-value device you own

Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire by about half.

Source National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Lesson 03 · Detect and plan

Alarm placement

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Placement · cover every level

Where smoke alarms go

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Inside

Every bedroom

Put an alarm inside each room where someone sleeps, so it wakes the sleeper directly.

Checkpoint · Each bedroom

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Outside

Each sleeping area

Place one in the hallway or area just outside the bedrooms.

Checkpoint · Each hallway

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Every

Level of the home

Install at least one on every floor, including the basement and finished attic.

Checkpoint · Every floor

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Link

Interconnect them

Where possible use interconnected alarms so one trigger sounds them all. Add carbon monoxide alarms too.

Checkpoint · All sound

Lesson 03 · Detect and plan

Keep alarms working

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Maintenance · test and replace

Test monthly

The month, year, decade rule

Definition

Test every alarm monthly with the button. Change batteries at least yearly unless the unit is a sealed ten-year alarm. Replace every smoke alarm ten years after its manufacture date.

In the room

A chirping alarm usually means a low battery or an expired unit. Replace the battery or the alarm. Never pull an alarm out and leave it disabled. - Test · battery · replace

Lesson 03 · Detect and plan

Home escape plan

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Plan · 4 steps

Build a home escape plan

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Map

Two ways out

Find two exits from every room, usually the door and a window. Make sure windows and security bars open easily.

Checkpoint · Two exits

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Pick

A meeting place

Choose one spot outside, a safe distance from the home, such as a mailbox, tree, or neighbor's porch.

Checkpoint · One spot

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Assign

Help for everyone

Decide who helps children, older adults, anyone with mobility needs, and pets.

Checkpoint · All covered

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Practice

Drill twice a year

Run the drill at least twice a year, including once at night. Time it: aim to be out in under two minutes.

Checkpoint · Under 2 min

Lesson 03 · Detect and plan

Make it real

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Reflect · 2 minutes

From where you sleep

What are your two ways out of the room where you sleep?

Prompt 01

Can you reach and open the window exit in the dark?

Prompt 02

Where is your household's outside meeting place?

Prompt 03

When did you last test your smoke alarms?

Transcript

Prevention reduces the odds, but you also need early warning and a plan. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire roughly in half. In this lesson we cover where to put alarms, how to keep them working, and how to build and practice an escape plan.

Transcript

Start with the most cost-effective safety device in your home. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported home fire roughly in half. They are only effective if they are present, powered, and not expired.

Transcript

Place alarms for full coverage. Install a smoke alarm inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement. Interconnect them if you can, so that when one sounds, they all sound.

Transcript

Alarms only help if they work. Test every alarm once a month with the test button. Replace batteries at least once a year, unless you have ten-year sealed units, and replace the alarms themselves every ten years. An alarm that chirps needs attention, not removal.

Transcript

Now build your escape plan. Walk through your home and find two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window. Pick one outside meeting place a safe distance from the home. Then practice the plan twice a year, including once at night.

Transcript

Before moving on, picture the room where you sleep. What are your two ways out, and where is your household's meeting place? If you cannot answer instantly, that is the first thing to fix after this class.