Action Tips: 7 Fire Drill Steps

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About two Americans are injured from a fire every hour. Yet less than 40% of households have prepared themselves for a household fire. Gather up your family and show them these simple ways to prepare.

Draw a Map of your Home

  • Mark every window, door, and smoke detector location. Try to find and draw at least two ways out of every room, especially bedrooms.

Prepare for a Fire

  • Decide on a safe place away from the home to meet.
  • Ask your parents to purchase an escape ladder for the windows above the first floor.
  • Make sure younger siblings know your address and what calling 9-1-1 means.
  • Test your smoke alarms. It’s best to have at least one on every floor.
    • Experts recommend to own both ionization AND photoelectric alarms.
    • Replace those batteries at least once a year!

Teach Everyone What to Do

Show your family these moves.

  • Roll out of bed when you hear the smoke alarm.
  • Crawl to the door and feel if it’s warm.
  • If the door is cool, open the door to look for smoke. If there’s no smoke, exit that way and close the door behind you.
  • If the door is warm or smoke appears, use another exit. 
  • Smoke rises, so everyone should crawl and stay low to the floor.
  • Once you get outside, go to your meeting place.
  • Assign certain adults to alert younger siblings that may need assistance in an emergency.

Run your Drill

  • Push the button on the fire alarm.
  • Grab your cellular or cordless phone.
  • Everyone should follow the steps you outlined.
  • Run through the steps as if the door feels cool.
  • Once outside, no one should go back indoors.
  • Pretend to call the fire department.
  • Run the drill again, this time pretending the door feels hot. Have everyone pretend as if they would use the other exit.

Talk about the Drill

  • Congratulate everyone on a successful drill, and tell them you’ll be practicing the drill at least two times a year!
  • For more information and advice on fire and household safety, click here.

Check out our Disaster Preparedness section for more tips and stats. GO