How To Survive A House Fire

No one wants the unthinkable to happen. Not many of us go about our day-to-day lives thinking a fire will occur in our homes. Most of the time, this is true, but house fires are more common than you may think. 

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):

• In 2022, a home structure fire was reported every 88 seconds
• A home fire death occurred every three hours and fourteen minutes
• A home fire injury was reported every 53 minutes

In the event that you do find yourself in a house fire, knowing exactly what to do can mean the difference of making it out or not. As a trained firefighter, I am going to share my tips with you.

How To Survive A Fire In Your House

1.Prepare beforehand

Obviously, you can’t predict exactly when a fire will happen. However, you can prepare yourself and your family in case there is one. Make a fire escape plan, and make sure everyone in the house knows what it is. Practice fire drills with your family regularly so that everyone knows what to do.

There are also things you can do to decrease the risk of fire in your home. Fires are largely preventable if you know the common causes.

If a fire happens, call 911 as soon as possible.

2.Contain the fire

If you know where the fire is, close all doors to that room. This will help to contain the smoke. Once you close the door, do not open it back up again.

Do not open a door if you think there is a fire behind it. The reason for this is because fire sucks all the oxygen out of a room. If you then open the door, it can create a backdraft causing fire to rush towards you. This can be fatal.

Before you open a door, feel it with the back of your hand to make sure it isn’t hot. If it is, try to find an alternate way of escape.

3.Get out of the house

Even small fires can escalate quickly, so it is important to get out of the house as soon as possible. Keep in mind that your front door or usual exit may be blocked.

You may need to escape out of a window. If you are above the second floor, try to throw soft objects like blankets and pillows onto the ground below. Try to find something you can use to lower yourself to the ground as much as possible before letting go. The best option is to keep fire escape ladders under every bed that is above the first floor.