In the excitement of buying or building a new home, we often forget about basic fire safety, especially fire escape routes from the second or third floors of a home. Many building products and home furnishings are not as flammable as in the past but a small fire can get completely out of control in less than a minute. The stairway of a home acts as a chimney pulling the heat and fire up to the attic and out the roof. People on the second or third floors can become trapped before they are aware of the fire.
Several years ago when my children were 11, 9, and 7 years old, we remodeled an older home with an upper floor. The two boys had two windows a porch that gave them an escape route in case of a fire. Our daughter’s room, however, had only a small gable window. I squared the gable off back at the peak of the roof and brought it out even with the outside wall and added an exterior door that opened on a small deck thus giving her an escape route. Neither of these escape routes were practical without smoke alarms and fire escape ladders.
Every family should have a pre-arranged escape plan according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). This organization recommends you devise an escape plan before a fire happens and practice escaping from every room in the house, especially the bedrooms.
There are many residential fire escape ladders on the market. They come in varying lengths and weights and made from various materials. If you are planning on an 8-10 year old using an escape ladder, remember to consider the weight. A child is not going to be able to lift a 25lb. ladder out the window to let it down. A lightweight one made of aluminum and nylon strapping is the lightest. Others made entirely of metal are quite a bit heavier. Permanent fire escape ladders that are recessed into the interior wall beneath the window are the simplest to use. The homeowner simply opens a small door and releases the ladder and can escape to safety in 30 seconds. It can be repacked and reused so it is perfect for practice drills.
Of course fire escape plans, smoke alarms, and fire ladders are not the only steps a homeowner should take to ensure home fire safety but it is a start. Home fire hazard inspections are important. Check lists for homeowners are available at homesafetycouncil.org or sparky.org/sparkychecklist.pdf. Fire extinguishers in the home are two more items that can help bring peace of mind to the homeowner
