1. Do a Family Fire Drill
Once you have a plan in place, one way to practice a family fire escape plan is to do a fire drill. Although it may not be as hectic as a real fire, pretending like there is a fire is as close to the real thing as you want to get. The practice also provides some insight as to what items you might want to change in your plan. For instance, you may need to move things, like furniture, to make your escape quicker. Be sure everyone knows the meeting place outside, choose a tree or other landmark that is easily recognizable to everyone and is far enough away from the house that it won't catch fire.
2. Repetition Is the Key
Practice a family fire escape plan once and you won't be ready for the real thing. Every time you change the batteries on your smoke detector, get the family together for a quick run down of how they would escape the house if it was on fire. A great time to do this is twice a year when you change the clocks for daylight savings time. You may want to reinforce the idea with a diagram, especially for younger children, or use coloring pages they can work on as you explain the fire escape route.
3. Get Out On Time
One fun way to practice a family fire escape plan is to time yourselves. Get a stopwatch and select one person to stand outside at the family meeting place, maybe the one who got out first on the previous practice. This way the quickest family member could "win" the chance to be fire timer at the next practice. Practice escaping from every room and be sure you get out in 30 seconds or less, which is the time it takes for a small fire to get completely out of control.
4. Try Different Routes
If you have more than one way to get out of your house, time each fire escape plan and see which is the fastest. Of course doors are easiest to escape from, but if you must run through four rooms to get to a door, you might want to try a window.
5. After Dark Looks Different
Most fires happen at night, while everyone is sleeping. So, try your plan after dark to see what new circumstances come up. Things look much different to children in the dark, especially if they are going through the trauma of watching their prized possessions burn. Practicing at night gives extra assurance that your family does the right thing at the right time.
