Escape plan: planning to save your life

Make your plan - Get out alive!

1. Take everyone into account

Make your fire action plan with everyone in your household, especially children and elderly or disabled people.

2. Your best escape route is your normal way in and out of your home

Decide on a different route as well, in case the normal one is blocked

Keep all escape routes clear

3. Tell everyone in your household where you keep your door and window keys

You can be safe as well as secure if you make sure that anyone who needs to get out in an emergency can easily open doors and windows.

4. When it’s safer to stay in your home

If your escape route is blocked, it may be safer to stay put and protect yourself until the Fire Brigade arrives. Find a suitable room right now. Choose one with a window that opens and, if possible, a phone so that you can call 999

5. If the stairs in a block of flats are blocked by fire or smoke, don’t use the lift. Stay calm and go back inside your flat – it’s designed to keep fire out

6. Close the door and follow the safety steps in this leaflet

7. If your escape route is blocked, it may be safer to stay put and protect yourself until the Fire Brigade arrives

If you would like free advice on making your fire action plan, contact your local Fire Brigade. The number is in your local phone book.

When you make your fire action plan:

always include children and elderly and disabled people;
choose the best escape route and another way out, and keep them clear;
tell everyone where the door and window keys are; and
if you can’t escape, it’s safer to stay in your home, protect yourself, and wait to be rescued.

Safety steps to save lives

1. Fit smoke alarms on each floor level in your home

If you don’t have working smoke alarms in your home, your chances of surviving a fire when you are asleep are almost zero.
Test your smoke alarms every month and replace batteries once a year.
If your smoke alarms keep going off, don’t disconnect them. They are only doing their job. Ask the Fire Brigade about the best place to put them so that they won’t keep going off, for example, when you are cooking.

2. Keep doors closed at night

This will help delay the spread of fire and smoke.

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