The thought of your home catching on fire is enough to fill anyone with dread. Your home, the items that fill it—these things can be replaced. If your home was to be affected by a fire, the most critical thing is that everyone gets out safely. Does your family have a fire safety process? Most workplaces and educational institutions have them, and yet the place where you spend the majority of your time (and where the people you love also spend the majority of their time) might not have one in place. This is particularly important when you have young children. If the worst were to happen, it can be reassuring to know that everyone would know what to do in order to get out safely. So what should your home fire safety process involve?

Smaller Fires

If your children notice a fire at home that has not yet come to the attention of your smoke detectors, then, of course, they should notify you immediately. But what about when you're not at home? Older children are capable of using fire extinguishers (and it can be a good idea to talk them through the PASS method) but they should know the difference between a small fire that can be safely contained and one that requires immediate evacuation.

Time to Leave

Safe evacuation can make all the difference. During daylight hours, your family should, of course, make their way outside via the nearest safe exit. It can be a different story if the fire was to happen when everyone was asleep. You and your family need to be mindful that door handles can become scaldingly hot when a fire is blazing on the other side, and so hand protection should be used when checking to see if an exit point is clear. It might be necessary to exit via a window. In the event that children might need to exit via a second-floor window, it can be beneficial to show them where to safely climb to the ground (or where to wait for assistance during evacuation). While this is training for a worst case scenario, children might have fun with this particular part of the process.

Meeting Point

You need to designate a meeting spot for your family in the event of a fire. This could simply be on the street outside your house, but outside a trusted neighbour's home is preferable. This allows you and your family to quickly raise the alarm so that the fire department can be contacted. It's also a safer distance from your burning home rather than gathering directly outside it.

If the worst were to happen, it's important that you and your loved ones know exactly what to do in order to remain safe. Check out a website like http://www.fireprotectionservices.com.au for more information and assistance.