In the wake of several recent fatalities related to house fires, the West Virginia Department of Health, West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office, and West Virginia Emergency Management Division are joining forces to remind West Virginians about fire safety practices.
Sherri A. Young, D.O., MBA, FAAFP, Cabinet Secretary for the West Virginia Department of Health, is urging West Virginians to have a safety plan in place.
“When seconds could be the difference between life and death, having a home escape plan and working smoke alarms could make all the difference,” said Young.
A home escape plan should include two exits from every home (usually a door and a window); a meeting place outside; and a call to 911 from a cell phone or neighbor’s phone.
A step-by-step guide to developing a home safety plan may be found follows.
Practice the Home Fire Escape Plan
Creating and practicing a home fire escape plan is simple. Follow the steps below to make sure everyone in the home is prepared and knows what to do in case of a home fire.
- Make a written home fire escape plan and practice getting out in under two minutes.
- Make sure there is a smoke alarm on every level of the home and in each bedroom. Test them twice a year.
- Download the Make Safe Happen app for a fire drill timer to practice the escape plan.
- Learn the best practices for home fire safety and fire safety with children.
Make an Escape Plan
- Learn two ways out of every room in the home in case one exit is blocked or dangerous to use. A second way out can include an escape ladder for rooms on an upper level.
- Practice getting low and moving to one’s exits is case there is smoke.
- Choose a safe meeting place a safe distance from one’s home.
- Have a home fire drill at least twice a year.
Children and Fire Safety
It is important to have a plan where there are children in the home. Children may become very scared and need clear directions and help getting out of the house. They may not know how to escape or what to do unless an adult shows them.
- Have a plan for younger children under six who cannot get outside by themselves. In the plan, talk about who will help each child get out safely.
- Children should know what to do when they hear a smoke alarm and there is no adult around. Help them practice going to the outside meeting place.
- Teach children to never go back inside a burning building. Once they are out, stay out!
- Teach children to get low and crawl on the ground, where the air is less smoky.
- Show a child how to use the back of their hand to check doors for heat before opening and to use a different way out if the door is hot.
- If a child needs to use an escape ladder, show them where it is kept and practice how to use it.
Conduct a Home Fire Drill
Fires can start anywhere in the home and at any time, so run through the plan at different times of the day or night and practice different ways out.
- Know where to go. Review the safe meeting place. Explain to the kids that when the smoke alarm beeps, they need to get out of the house quickly and meet at that safety spot.
- Check smoke alarms. Test the smoke alarms with kids to they know the sound.
- Do the drill. Have kids head to their bedrooms and wait for the drill to begin. Assign adults to help young children. Put one adult in charge of sounding the smoke alarm and running the drill. Next, sound the smoke alarm, start the timer and have everyone book it to the safety spot. Once everyone gets to the safe meeting place stop the timer. If everyone didn’t make it to the meeting place under two minutes, repeat the drill. In a real fire, after getting to the safe meeting place, then call 9-1-1 and keep everyone close until firefighters arrive.
“Other ways to reduce or lower the risk of danger in your home is to stay in the kitchen when heating food and keeping items that cause fires away when cooking on the stovetop. Also, limit the use of unvented fuel-fired appliances,” added Ken Tyree, State Fire Marshal.
Working smoke alarms can decrease the risk of dying in a house fire by half. Smoke alarms should be installed in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, on every level of the home, including the basement, and should be tested at least once a month using the test button.
“As we try to keep our homes warm in the winter months, prioritizing fire safety is paramount,” said GE McCabe, West Virginia Emergency Management Division director. “Taking proactive measures, such as checking heating systems and chimneys, using heating appliances responsibly, and having working smoke detectors, ensures a warm and secure environment for you and your loved ones.”
Space heaters and home heating equipment are other leading causes of home fires during the winter months. The risk can be reduced by keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment and keeping children at a distance.
