How To Create A Masterguard Fire Safety Plan

How and Why You Need to Have a Masterguard Fire Safety Plan for Your Family

Having a fire safety plan is the first step in keeping your family safe should a fire break out in your home. Every parent knows that fire is dangerous but it is imperative to also teach your children what they should do if a fire occurs in the house. When a fire breaks out, it is natural to panic; having a plan in place ahead of time, and having a fire drill at least every six months, will help to ensure that you and your family make it out of the home safely.

How to Create a Fire Safety Plan

-Draw a diagram or simple blueprint of your home. The younger your children are, the simpler the drawing should be. Label the escape paths with arrows, making sure there are at least two routes out of every room (if possible).

-Decide on an outside meeting place that your child will remember. The place should be both a safe distance from your house and easy to see in the dark; light poles or large trees are a good idea.

-Teach your children how to get out on their own. You may not have a safe route to them, or they to you, and waiting for each other could prove dangerous.

In addition to having a fire safety plan, you should also teach your children basic fire safety tips. They’ll often learn these in preschool or kindergarten but reinforcing them at home will help your child remember them.

Masterguard Fire Safety Tips

-Always feel the knob of a door before you open it. If the knob is hot to the touch, leave the door closed.

-If at all possible, close doors behind you as you leave a room.

-If the house or room is filled with smoke, stay low to the ground.

-Once you are outside, don’t go back into the house.

-Call the fire department when you get outside.

Make Your Home Safe

-Every floor in your home should have at least one fire extinguisher and everyone in the family should know where it is located and how to use it.

-Each floor should have at least one working smoke alarm.

-Make sure the doors and windows in your home are easy to open.

-Install fire safety ladders in bedrooms on the upper floors of your home and teach your children how to use them.

-Put fire warning stickers near any entry doors (not on the child’s bedroom window). This will alert firefighters to how many people and pets should be accounted for.

-Keep lighters and matches out of the reach of children.

-If you have a furnace and/or chimney, maintain them properly to prevent fire hazards.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 71% of Americans have a fire escape plan but only 45% of those people have actually practiced that plan. Having a plan in place is just not enough. To protect your family from the dangers of fire, develop a plan, share the plan and practice the plan!  Masterguard Fire Safety. 
Source: http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/Public%20Education/EscapePlanningTips.pdf