Every household should have a home fire escape plan and practice it regularly.
It should identify all the exits in your house and the designated location where family members will meet once they are safely outside.
All those who care for your children or stay in your house should be aware of the
home fire escape plan. Show them all the exits and where the telephone and
emergency numbers are located.
Step 1:
Draw your
home floor plan on the grid, marking all the exits.
Step 2:
Get the children involved by asking them
to help identify the two quickest and safest
ways to get out of the house from every
room, including upper floors.
Step 3:
Decide on an outside meeting place,
such as the letterbox.
Step 4:
Practice your home fire escape
plan regularly with the whole family.
Step 5:
Keep the plan handy (on the fridge)
to remind everyone of the safe
exits in case of fire.
There’s lots of things you can do to help safeguard your home and
loved ones from the threat of fire in the home.
Download the home fire safety checklist to find out how you rate when it comes to
home fire safety. If you're unable to answer 'yes' to most of the checklist questions,
then you increase your risk of a fire breaking out in your home.
Keep the checklist on the fridge as a reminder of what you can do to help keep your
home safe.
Home fire safety tips
- Never leave cooking, heaters, open fires or candles unattended
- Don't overload power boards
- Keep electrical appliances in good working order
- Ensure cigarette ash and butts are extinguished. Never smoke in bed
- Do not dry clothing less than one metre from heaters
- Clean lint filters on clothes dryers after every use and always let dryers complete the cool-down cycle
- Store all matches and lighters out of reach of children
- By law every home must have at least one working smoke alarm installed on each level of the house. Clean and test your alarms regularly and make sure they are working
- Install a fire extinguisher and fire blanket and know how to use them
- Have a home fire escape plan and practise it regularly
- Never deadlock yourself inside the house. Keep keys in the lock when you are at home
