Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.

Tuesday, September 27th, 2022

Fire grows and moves faster than most people can imagine. When your smoke alarm sounds, your family could have less than 2 minutes to get out safely. That’s why the theme for Fire Prevention Month 2022 is “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.”

Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape. works to educate everyone about the simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe from home fires.

Start by creating a plan that meets the needs of all your family members then practice that plan!

  1. As a family, draw a basic map of your home’s layout. Include all windows and doors.
  2. Plan two ways out of every room in case one way is blocked by fire. Make sure doors and windows open easily and are not blocked by furniture.
  3. Pick a “safe meeting place” outside of your home. This should be someplace in eyesight of the home, but not too close. Common examples are the end of your driveway, your mailbox, a neighbor’s driveway, a light pole, or a large tree.
  4. Talk about what happens when there is a fire. Fire produces a lot of thick black smoke that rises. Make sure to get low and crawl under smoke when evacuating.
  5. Make sure you have WORKING smoke alarms. Push the test button on every alarm in your home monthly, change the batteries at least once per year, and replace all smoke alarms every 10 years (yes, they expire!).
  6. Practice your plan. Just like kids practice fire drills at school, they should practice them at home at least twice a year with everyone that lives in the home. Start by pushing the test button to sound your smoke alarms, have kids crawl to their exits and finish by gathering outside at your safe meeting place.

Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning. Working smoke alarms more than double your family’s chance of surviving a fire at home. You should have a smoke alarm in every bedroom and sleeping area, in the common area outside the bedroom(s), and at least one smoke alarm on every level of the home.

For more information on smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions webpage or call our Non-Emergency Smoke & CO Hotline at (512) 989-4516.

Visit https://www.sparky.org/activities to have fun while learning about fire safety!

Check out these additional resources:

Home Escape Plan Grid  Home Escape Plan Grid (Spanish)  

Family Action Plan Family Action Plan (Spanish)