Why Having a Fire Plan is Important
This week on Why on Wednesdays, I want to talk about fire safety and why having a fire plan is important. If you have kids or even if you don’t, you should have a plan in place for your home in case you have a fire.
You may be wondering why I’m suddenly talking safety with you guys. I know this is sudden, but we had a small house fire the other day and it made me really start to think about fire safety and what my kids know. Do they know what they should do in case of a fire? Do I know what to do in case of a fire?
So, first off where are the exits in your home? Do your kids know how to get out of your house? You should have an exit or exit plan for each level of your home. If you have a second story make sure there is a rope ladder or someway that you can get out without having to go to a separate floor. If you have a basement, you need an access as well.
Where are you meeting? Do you have a designated fire spot? We used our van for our fire. It was in the middle of the night and cold out so the we all went to the van. It was very easy to change our safe location due to the kids all having been asleep and me herding them out half asleep. It just needs to be somewhere that everyone knows that is a safe distance from the house.
Other important things to think about. Do you have a fire extinguisher? Is it somewhere accessible? Do you have working smoke detectors? Have you checked the batteries lately? These are all important things to consider when you’re wanting to avoid any extra stress during a stressful time.
And remember, a fire is very scary for a child. Firemen are scary to some children. So, if you have access to a local fire station, it would make a great field trip! Let the kids see the fire engine and the men in their full equipment so it won’t be as frightening to them when it is the real thing.
Remember to take precautions to help prevent fires and to make sure you have your exits cleared and accessible at all times.
Colleen Busch
That is so true about fireman and the appearance to children of scary. That is why I allow my children to know our local fireman/women.
Scrappy Geek
Excellent reminder! We actually just moved into our new house a few months ago and have not ‘set up’ a well known safety plan. I think we think it’s more or less unspoken – get out and see you out there — if ya make it! (heh). But seriously, I’m glad your family is safe and sound and no one was hurt. Thank you for the reminder – we’ll be having the fire talk tonight!
heather
excellent tips! My family and I have done the field trip to the local fire dept for that reason! We have our plan, but we need to put it into more practice this spring. Thanks for a great reminder.
Michelle F.
Though we take so many safety precautions we never had a plan if it does happen. Setting out to make one now.
Lisa @ ShopGirlDaily.com
This is excellent advice. We don’t have a fire extinguisher and picking one up is always on my to-do list. I also need to get one of those “we have dogs” stickers in case there’s ever a fire.
Cristyl @ CHill Thoughts
A house fire is one of my worst fears…I hope you are all OK! Thanks for this great reminder to address this very important safety topic!
-Cristyl @ http://www.MyCHillThoughts.com
Bekki @a better way to homeschool
This is so important! We had a fire in our neighborhood and we had not made a fire plan. It was pure chaos! Thank you for sharing this!
Lauren
House fires are one of my biggest fears. My four year old is pretty clued up and loves anything to do with fire trucks and firemen, but my 19 month old is too little. We do have a plan in place but I will be on the hunt for a fire extinguisher to put in the home.
kewkew
Excellent reminders. Sorry you had to deal with a fire, but thankful for the reminders. We have a vague plan but nothing definite we have taught the children to do in case of a fire.
I am thankful that our homeschool co-op takes a field trip to the fire station every year and gets some great info plus the kids get to see a firefighter put on their gear. Also helps that one of the firefighters is the father to some of their friends.
Thanks for the great tips.
Triplezmom
How scary! I am glad everyone was okay. Good tips in this post.
Joie
We have a fire plan at our house. I feel it’s important for many reasons but the biggest is we burn wood for heat. When I was a child we had a fire in our house and I have never forgotten that lesson.
Bismah
Great reminder and helpful tips! Sometimes we think that fire is something that will never happen but how can we be so sure. Every family should have an escape plan and do a practice drill from time to time.
LaurM
This is so good, and a very good point! We have 4 kids and we’ve just started working out a plan and exit strategy. It’s taking care of your family to do so and I appreciated this reminder :0)
Debbie Denny
These are great things to think about to keep your family safe
Debbie L.
Excellent advice about fire safety. Thank goodness you guys are all safe! When the kids were home I had a escape route for just about everything. My hubby used to tease me and told me I should of been a disaster family planner. Thank goodness we needed the plans a few times and they worked. I even had a escape route and plan in case of a nuclear plant meltdown at a local plant about 40 miles away. Who gets the kids, routes, and where we meet 125 miles away. Being prepared works!
Jessi Timmermans
When I worked in Early Childhood Education we would have firemen come in twice a year and do drills with the kids. They would start in normal clothes and as they talked, put on their full gear to show the kids they were just people inside. Trying to take way some of the fear of the outfits. It was a great learing experience for them.
having a plan is so important
jenny
Reminds me that I should get a fire safe to save important documents and photos…
ashley
Excellent post, these are some great tips. I think it is time for us to update our fire plan. Thanks for the reminder!
Kandi
We need to get a fire plan in place. Sad thing is I think more of a break in then fire (house was broken into when I was a kid and we were all upstairs sleeping, plus hubby’s job never know who will want to get revenge) so I have a plan in place for that (ie where I would tell me kids to go ect).
Lisa Jones
I Couldn’t Agee With You More Our Families Are So Important To Us All!!! These Are Really Great Tips We Can All Use. Thank You!
Jordyn @ Almost Supermom
I agree!! So important to have a plan! We make sure to do weekly monthly fire drills to make sure the kids know what to do if the worst were to happen.
Suzi Satterfield
Right now, I don’t really have a fire plan with my kids. They’re too little, but kept in their rooms. I guess that means the plan is “get them out.”
Kara T
thanks for this post. It just reminds me that I really need to implement a fire escape plan with my family. My kids sleep upstairs so this is essential. Need to check smoke detectors too. We had a fire here recently that killed 4 out of 6 family members, 2 children and both adults. Two children survived. Their smoke detectors were not functioning. It could’ve saved their lives. Thanks again!
Andrew
Excellent post and reminder! It’s almost daylight savings time, which means it’s time to replace the batteries in the smoke alarms!
Erin S.
Thanks for the daylight savings time reminder! Off to find when that is on my calendar.