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Fire safety plan for families includes "First Up, Last Out" rule When fire breaks out in a family's home, there may be only seconds in which to escape the heat, black smoke and deadly gases. To be prepared, parents must have working fire alarms and a detailed fire escape plan that the whole family has rehearsed. The U.S. Fire Administration reports that children and older adults account for a significant portion of the country's fire deaths and injuries. In 2002, about 2500 children ages 14 or younger were injured or killed in U.S. residential fires, and the fires often were preventable. A working fire alarm more than doubles your chances of surviving a fire. However, just changing the smoke alarm batteries twice a year so they are functional is not enough to ensure that children will evacuate a burning residence. Parents need to be reminded that most young children and even adolescents need help waking up and exiting their homes. Studies show that children don't consistently wake up when a fire alarm sounds for a variety of reasons. Children have higher arousal thresholds than adults and may be more erratic when they do awake. Younger children sleep longer than adults and spend more time in deep sleep. In addition, kids commonly hide in the closet or under their beds when fear and panic set in. Add to these factors, background noise, medication or sleep deprivation, and it's clear why children often don't react to a smoke alarm. For all these reasons, an adult needs to be around to wake up to a smoke alarm and be responsible for ushering everyone out the door. This method is called "First Up, Last Out." An escape plan, practiced twice a year, should include at least two exits (when available) from every room of the house. Designate a meeting place outside, in front, where family members can wait for the fire department. Parents also can instruct children in age-appropriate educational messages about fire prevention, such as how to stop, drop to the ground and roll if clothes catch on fire. In case a fire does occur, show kids how to crawl low on the floor, underneath the smoke, to get out of the house quickly. Impress on them the importance of not hiding from firefighters and the need to act fast. Teach kids never to return to a burning building and to call 911 or the fire department after leaving a burning structure. -Alyson Sulaski Wyckoff |