This March break, plan your escape ... but not the one you're thinking of

Yorkregion.com
March 9, 2023

Make a plan to evacuate your home safely in the case of an emergency, writes Andrew Zvanitajs

This March break, plan your escape -- no, I don’t mean board a flight to somewhere warm. I mean, make a plan for your family to evacuate safely should there be an emergency, like a fire, in your home.

It may sound daunting, but it’s easier than you think. Here’s how to make your escape plan:

• Draw your home’s floor plan, including all doors, windows and stairs for each level, and note any features that could help you escape, such as a garage or balcony.

• Mark at least two escape routes from each room, so you have another way out if one exit is blocked.

• Make sure everyone in your home knows where to meet outside -- at a street sign or mailbox, for example -- and to call 911 and wait for the fire department to arrive. A meeting place will allow you to count everyone and inform firefighters if anybody is still inside. Never go back into a burning building.

 

Once you have a plan, practise it often. You can even set up scenarios where some doors are blocked so your family can make real-time decisions and escape using an alternate exit.

Did you know that more than half of all fatal home fires happen at night while people are asleep? That’s why sharing your escape plan with visitors staying in your home is important.

Everyone, from relatives visiting for the weekend to friends attending a birthday sleepover, needs to know what to do when an alarm sounds.

While making your home escape plan, it’s a good time to check if your alarms are working properly. This year, daylight time begins on March 12. Use that day to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and test all your alarms.

In the event of a fire, having working alarms is the simplest way to help save your life. It not only alerts you to an emergency, but it can also give you precious seconds to escape.

To learn more about fire safety, visit vaughan.ca/fire. You can also visit vaughan.ca/EmergencyPlanning for more tips and tools on preparing your family for emergencies.

Andrew Zvanitajs is the fire chief of the Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service.