Fire Drills...how to, when to

Do you routinely practice home fire drills? Here's a quick and easy guide to get you started:

1) Where: Answer--everywhere. Each month, on a set day of the month, pick a new location to practice evacuating from until you've covered the entire house, then start over.

2) How: From the room you are practicing from, consider the following: Rescue: Who/what should you rescue from this room if it is the one you must get out of? Which doorway? Which window? What if one or the other is blocked? Use a red towel to symbolize the fire line, and then have your family figure out a safe escape. Alert: Where in this room can they find a way to alert the rest of the family? The fire department? Contain: What can they use in this room to try to contain the fire? Where is the closest extinguisher? Are there sprinklers? Smoke alarms? What do they sound like from that room? Extinguish: Is it possible?

3) When: Monthly...from at least one room in the house. Also, try it in the middle of the night at least twice a year...who does the smoke alarm wake up? Who sleeps through? Whose job is it to be whose buddy?

4) Have a meeting place outside the home, safely away from the building. Where is it? What do you do if someone is not there? Remind the family that no one goes back in...the fire department is trained to do this and will as soon as they arrive...so stay together.

These are the basics. For more info, read the book!

Sending the kids off to college

Are you sending your child off to college? Have you considered sharing some fire safety tips with them?

Sure, the college dorm management will conduct fire drills, but most kids don't pay much attention to this activity. Why not spend a few minutes on moving day to check out the fire escape plan and review it together? How about a grab and go plan for the dorm room? Help your child know how to think in an emergency.

Have you two discussed what you want them to do in the event of a school disaster? Is there someone nearby they can go to? Do you have an agreement to text or call in the event of a major event to alert each other as to the safety of each other?

Think about leaving behind some plastic lidded tubs for your child to use to store important files, papers, books, etc. in in the event of a water related incident. How about storing out of season clothing in a covered, lidded tub to keep at least half the wardrobe protected from smoke or water damage.

Talk this over with your child, and don't hesitate to have the conversation...you just might save their life.