Essays
WHAT TO DO WHEN HOUSE ON FIRE?
Talking about fires can be scary because no one likes to think about people getting hurt or their things getting burned. But you can feel less worried if you are prepared.
Know Your Way Out
An escape plan can help every member of a family get out of a burning house. The idea is to get outside quickly and safely. Smoke from a fire can make it hard to see where things are, so it's important to learn and remember the different ways out of your home.
It's possible one way out could be blocked by fire or smoke, so you'll want to know where other ones are.
Safety Steps
If you're in a room with the door closed when the fire breaks out, you need to take a few extra steps: * Check to see if there's heat or smoke coming in the cracks around the door. (You're checking to see if there's fire on the other side.) * If you see smoke coming under the door — don't open the door! * If you don't see smoke — touch the door. If the door is hot or very warm — don't open the door! * If you don't see smoke — and the door is not hot — then use your fingers to lightly touch the doorknob. If the doorknob is hot or very warm — don't open the door!
If the doorknob feels cool, and you can't see any smoke around the door, you can open the door very carefully and slowly. When you open the door, if you feel a burst of heat, or smoke pours into the room, quickly shut the door and make sure it is really closed. If there's no smoke or heat when you open the door, go toward your escape route exit.
Stay Low
If you can see smoke in the house, stay low to the ground as you make your way to the exit. In a fire, smoke and poisonous air hurt more people than the actual flames do. You'll breathe less smoke if you stay close to the ground.
Smoke naturally rises, so if there is smoke while you're using your escape route, staying low means you can crawl under most of it.
You should unlock the windows, open them. Sometimes, families even have
Talking about fires can be scary because no one likes to think about people getting hurt or their things getting burned. But you can feel less worried if you are prepared.
Know Your Way Out
An escape plan can help every member of a family get out of a burning house. The idea is to get outside quickly and safely. Smoke from a fire can make it hard to see where things are, so it's important to learn and remember the different ways out of your home.
It's possible one way out could be blocked by fire or smoke, so you'll want to know where other ones are.
Safety Steps
If you're in a room with the door closed when the fire breaks out, you need to take a few extra steps: * Check to see if there's heat or smoke coming in the cracks around the door. (You're checking to see if there's fire on the other side.) * If you see smoke coming under the door — don't open the door! * If you don't see smoke — touch the door. If the door is hot or very warm — don't open the door! * If you don't see smoke — and the door is not hot — then use your fingers to lightly touch the doorknob. If the doorknob is hot or very warm — don't open the door!
If the doorknob feels cool, and you can't see any smoke around the door, you can open the door very carefully and slowly. When you open the door, if you feel a burst of heat, or smoke pours into the room, quickly shut the door and make sure it is really closed. If there's no smoke or heat when you open the door, go toward your escape route exit.
Stay Low
If you can see smoke in the house, stay low to the ground as you make your way to the exit. In a fire, smoke and poisonous air hurt more people than the actual flames do. You'll breathe less smoke if you stay close to the ground.
Smoke naturally rises, so if there is smoke while you're using your escape route, staying low means you can crawl under most of it.
You should unlock the windows, open them. Sometimes, families even have