With Christmas trees and other lighted decorations on display at residences across the area, local fire department officials are encouraging everyone to have a plan in place to escape from their homes in case of a fire.
Officials say a good way to put such a plan together is to make a fire escape checklist that answers the following questions:
- Do you have working smoke alarms in your home?
- Is there a smoke detector in every sleeping room and outside each sleeping area?
- Is there a smoke detector on each level of your home?
- Do you test your smoke alarms at least once a month to make sure the batteries are still working?
- Do you know the sound of your smoke alarms?
- How old are your smoke alarms? If they are more than 10 years old, it’s time to purchase new ones.
- Do you know two ways out of each room in your home?
- Do you know what to do when you hear your smoke alarm? The answer is to “get out and stay out.”
- Are all exits in your home clear of trash and toys?
- Has your family picked a meeting place outside the home where everyone can go when they’ve escaped a fire?
- Does everyone at your home know how to call for help once they are outside?