In the unforeseen circumstance that fire breaks out in your house, your ability to evacuate safely will depend on your fire escape plan. Between 2010 to 2014, there were 107,800 apartment fires in the country; they caused 410 deaths!
If your building has a fire escape plan, it will have necessary safety measures that help control fires and allow residents ample time to get out.
Fire spreads quickly; you can have as little as a minute or two to escape after the alarm goes off. Closing the door in front of the fire may help contain it for a short while but it still doesn’t mean you can wait in the apartment for the fire-trucks to arrive.
You need a reliable evacuation plan in place so everyone living in your building knows what to do in times of an emergency.
Here’s what you need to do:
Install Smoke Alarms
If your building doesn’t already have smoke alarms in every room, you need to make sure that they are installed. Having smoke alarms in every room is a necessity; we may not see a fire until it’s too late, but smoke alarms can easily detect smoke.
Make a Plan
When you’re living with others, all members of the house must come together and devise an escape plan. Go through your apartment and look at all the possible escape routes you can take in times of emergency. Every room should have at least 2 points of exits (usually the door and a window).
Consider purchasing an Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL)-approved collapsible ladder to help you escape from higher floors. Although collapsible ladders aren’t always the safest option they do come in handy in times of emergency—it’s much better than having nothing to help you down.
Draw out an escape plan and share it with your kids. Label each room and the exits you can take. Show them how to first exit the apartment and then the building.
Exiting Your Apartment Building
When you’re living in an apartment building, it’s crucial to know and practice the building’s evacuation plan so everyone knows what to do if the alarm goes off.
In case the alarm does go off, don’t hang around to see where the sound is coming from, leave immediately. Remember to always use the stairs in times of emergencies.
Not sure what your building’s fire escape plan is? Use mycoop to get in touch with others in the same building to help you out!
mycoop is a residential building communication software and app that facilitates communication and collaborations amongst the owners, managers, and residents of a building. Our platform can be used to broadcast messages, share content and connect with others living in the same building so everyone is always updated. It’s the best way to manage building communication.
