Manning, SC - Clarendon County Fire Department: Exit Drills

Gather your family together. It is important that this activity involves every member of the family.

On a piece of paper, draw a floor plan of your home. Be sure to indicate where the doors and windows are located.
Decide upon a family meeting spot and draw it on the piece of paper. This can be a neighbor's house, a tree, a mailbox or anything that is away from the house.
Have each family member draw two ways out of their room. Discuss the importance of how to safely exit out a secondary exit if the main door or path is blocked by fire.
Make sure that every family member knows two ways out of every room and that once you are out of the house, you do not go back inside.
Conduct a practice drill by having family members go to their room.
Press the test button on your smoke detector to start the fire drill.
Teach each family member to crawl low to the ground while exiting to stay below the toxic smoke.
Make sure that every family member gets out of the house safely and meets at the family meeting spot.
Remind your family to call 9-1-1 once they are out of the house if there is a fire.

Tips

Practice your home escape plan monthly to ensure that each family member remembers what to do in case of a fire.
Using graph paper makes it easier to draw your floor plan.
Make sure that each family member can open the windows and take out screens quickly.
Most house fires occur at night when people are sleeping, practice a fire drill in the dark to simulate the low light conditions produced by fire.