It is important to begin your emergency preparedness at home. By including the family in developing your preparation for emergencies, the whole family can have an active role. When it comes to fires, we wanted to share these tips for you to consider when developing an emergency plan for fires.

• Develop and practice escape plans twice a year.
• Know how to unlock the windows in your home quickly.
• Sleep with the bedroom doors closed if possible. This will slow a fire’s ability to spread and buy extra time to escape. Also, NEVER open a door if it feels hot.
• Remember to always crawl out of a fire that is smoky since the air is more breathable near the floor.
• Know at least two ways to get out of every room.
• Develop a designated safe meeting place outside so you can account for all family members. An example is a nearby mailbox.
• Once you get out of the house, dial 9-1-1 immediately and NEVER go back inside a burning house or building.
• If you live in an apartment or condo building, make sure to always use stairs and not an elevator.
• Make sure your house street address number is visible and not obstructed by bushes.
• Finally, make sure your smoke detector’s batteries are working.

As always, if you “See Something, Say Something”. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911. To report suspicious activity, call 855-RPRT-2-S4 (855-777-8274).