PLAN TO GET OUT ALIVE!
Most fire deaths occur in the home while people are sleeping. Properly installed,
operating smoke alarms increase the chance of survival by 50 per cent. But when
a smoke alarm goes off in the middle of the night, too few people are prepared
to escape the fire.
You are half asleep when your smoke alarm sounds. Do you have a plan? "Flash
over" is the point when the air in a room gets so hot it ignites everything
in that room. Everything from floor to ceiling will catch fire. This takes from
4 to 5 minutes. You don’t have much time to think about what to do
as the smoke gets thicker and the heat more intense!
- YOU MUST HAVE A PLAN:
Have a working smoke alarm. Test it once a month. Replace the battery once a year.
- Know two ways to get out of every room in your home; the "normal" way
and an alternate route, usually a window.
- Heat and smoke rise; so crawl low on your hands and knees if you encounter
smoke.
- Leave the building immediately and do not go back in.
- Arrange a place for your family to meet. Do it now, before there’s
an emergency.
- Go to a neighbour’s and phone 911. Ask for the fire department.
- Practice your escape plan twice a year: summer and winter.
THINK...PREVENT FIRES...SAVE A LIFE.
For more information on fire prevention and fire safety, phone the Qualicum Beach
Fire Department at 752-6921.
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