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from SIMPLYkc Magazine October 2020

AROUND TOWN

CREATE A HOME SAFETY PLAN BEFORE YOU NEED TO USE IT

WRITTEN BY BRENNAN HALLOCK

Like insurance, a home safety plan is something you hope you never have to use. But if a situation does require you to use it, a safety plan really could mean life or death.

According the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), only one third of families have developed and practiced a home fire escape plan, even though it’s vital to protecting you and your family. Here are some ways to make sure your family is safe in case a crisis occurs in your home. Create a plan. The first step to having a plan is creating it. Emergencies happen, even if we do everything to prevent them. This is why you should make sure everyone has the knowledge and tools available when an emergency happens. “Sit down as a family and make a bird’s eye view of the house,” says Tricia Roberts, public education specialist from the Overland Park Fire Department. “Designate two ways out of the house, establish where the outside meeting place will be, and then take that plan and walk through the home as a family and make sure it will work.” Roberts recommends you run through at least two fire drills. “Have one in the daytime when everyone is awake, and then have a second fire drill at night when the family is sleeping just to make sure everyone wakes up to the alarm.” You can download escape planning grids from many places, including nfpa.org. If you have kids in the house, you should sit down with them and use an escape planning grid or floor plan to show them two exits out of each room and two exits out of the house.

Once you’re outside, stay there. If a fire occurs in your home, it’s important everyone knows they cannot re-enter the home. “Once you make it out, you stay out and call the fire department from there,” Roberts says. The NFPA’s website explains that fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds. If you re-enter your home, the fire may have engulfed areas you did not expect, blocking possible exit points. Have a working alarm system. An alarm system is a must for your home. Fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are simple to install and maintain. If you or your kids are heavy sleepers, hard-of-hearing, or deaf, there are alternatives to traditional fire alarms. “There are smoke alarms that will still beep, but parents can program their voice into the alarm,” Roberts explains. “A lot of kids

respond much better to that than just the beeping. For people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, alarms will activate strobe lights or shake the bed and notify people that way.” Remove potential hazards. Removing common household hazards helps prevent emergencies from happening. Cooking, smoking, and household wiring are common causes of home fires. Having proper ashtrays and rinsing ashes before disposing of them is helpful. “Maybe you have a second fridge out in the garage and for convenience of location, you’ve plugged it in with an extension cord. That would be a fire hazard,” Roberts shares. “Those should be plugged directly into the outlet. Extension cords are not intended to be permanent wiring.” And, she notes, if there are loose connections or an outlet that is hot to the touch, you should replace these immediately.

Your kitchen can be a potential hazard too. The stove and the oven are wonderful tools, but should be monitored while in use. Don’t leave your kitchen while cooking, make sure to keep your kitchen free of clutter that may catch fire on your burner, and regularly clean excess grease from the burners. Take an emergency safety class. Most local fire departments offer classes in emergency preparedness. These classes can educate you about ways to avoid potential hazards as well as give you the opportunity to ask questions. “Classes are offered all the time,” says Roberts. “Most fire departments have someone who can come out and teach a class. You can call me and I am happy to teach a class to your church group, home association, or business.”

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