5 Things to  Consider Before Choosing a Fire Escape

Even if you are not required by law to have a proper fire escape plan, you should still consider making one. Fires are highly unlikely to happen, but in the event that they do occur homeowners should have a safe way to exit the building after an alarm has gone off.

As a part of the plan you should consult with an expert regarding the forms of security to integrate in order to prevent unknown individuals from entering your property. Make sure that whatever security device you install, it could be exited through immediately in case of an emergency.

Things to Consider:

An escape plan should always be structured in such a way, that there are at least two possible alternative paths to go through once an emergency happens. In order to create an efficient plan you should consider the following five things:

1. Stay Closer to The Ground.

One of the main concerns in a fire is the smoke. It could quickly fill your lungs and leave you incapacitated. While taking the escape route make sure that you stay as close to the floor as possible. The smoke will quickly rise to the top of the room, meaning that there will be more oxygen for your lungs while staying low

2. Don’t Use the Elevator

Don’t even think about using the elevator, nor should you plan any of the escape routes with it. Use the stairs and help people that are unable to do that by themselves. There should be an alternative route for handicapped people.

3. Keep Your Escape Path Clear

Make sure that there are no obstacles on your escape route. This is something which should be taken care of beforehand. You don’t want to be moving objects while taking the route while exiting the building during a fire.

4. Beware of outdoor fire escapes

In the movies, you could see how many building have outdoor fire escapes. They have many risks – starting from the materials they are built to the risk of actually falling from them while moving down. Be cautious when using them.

5. Easily accessible locks

Make sure that your locks have mechanisms for emergency situations which will allow you to trigger them in the case of a fire. Delaying your escape because you are unable to get past a door could seriously heighten the risk of injury or worse.