You and your family have a better chance of surviving a fire in your home if you are alerted to the fire in time and know what to do.
Install Smoke Alarms & Keep Them in Working Order
Install smoke detectors outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your house. Test them once a month. Change the batteries every time you change your clock for daylight saving time (twice a year).
Make an Escape Plan & Practice it
Sit down with your family and make a step-by-step plan for escaping a fire. Draw a floor plan of your home and mark two exits-including doors and windows-out of every room. Discuss the escape routes with every member of your household. Agree on a meeting place outside your home where everyone will gather to wait for the fire department. Have a fire drill and practice your escape plan at least twice a year. Get out quickly, but carefully.
Get Out & Stay Out
In case of fire, don't stop for anything. Leave the building, go directly to your meeting place and call the fire department from a neighbor's phone or a cell phone. Once you are out of your home, don't go back inside for any reason. If people are trapped, the firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them. Only firefighters have the training, experience, and protective equipment needed to enter burning buildings.