How to be prepared for a fire in your home

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah fire officials say having a well-defined plan is crucial when preparing for emergencies like house fires.

One great resource is American Red Cross Utah. They will inspect and replace smoke alarms in homes and help educate families about handling chaotic emergency situations like fires.

Other information comes from the Utah Division of Emergency Management. 

 

KSL NewsRadio spoke to Wade Mathews with the Utah Division of Emergency Management. The interview is above, and the full transcript follows.

Surviving a fire at home

JEFF CAPLAN: [Today we learned that] a mother in her 80s and her disabled son died in a house fire in Pleasant Grove early this morning. Fire officials say there are things you can do to prepare in case there’s a fire in your home. Joining me live Wade Matthews with the Utah Division of Emergency Management. So Wade, do you really prepare for something like this — a sudden house fire?

WADE MATHEWS:  Absolutely. You treat this like any other type of hazard or threat that may come without warning. 

CAPLAN: There are so many things that can go wrong. I mean, when there’s a house fire, it can block a door, there can be all kinds of circumstances, how do you come up with an escape plan that’s actually going to work?

MATHEWS: Well, you [create a] drawing of your home and you just go room by room and try to identify two exits from each room.

In some cases, it may be a window it may be the door leading to another part of the house, but two exits from each room. Then you’ve got to take time with a family to practice. [Show the kids] how to get out a window, push the screen out, and have those emergency ladders or those types of things in place to make those viable exits.

CAPLAN: Yeah, I worry … I think about little kids in a second-floor bedroom, you have to discuss things like that. And I guess truly have emergency steps to go down?

MATHEWS: Yes, get some of those that you can store in the room below the window and attach them. They will extend on a rope ladder or an extension type of ladder.

Some other things to consider for preparing your home [include] a fire extinguisher on each floor, in the kitchen and the garage. Have smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms on each floor as well, especially by the windows.

And have your house number visible from the street. Those are all ways to prepare your home.

CAPLAN:  So you get out of the house safely. What comes next? Are there still more responsibilities?

MATHEWS:  We want people to remember the protective action. For earthquake, we practice the ‘drop cover and hold on.’ In this case, for fire, get low, get beneath the smoke and crawl out. Get to your exit, evacuate the building as soon as you can. Then go to a pre-designated meeting place.  Take accountability, make sure everybody got outside.

Once you’re out, you stay out. If you’re afraid that somebody’s not out yet and may be trapped, get the firefighters there as quickly as you can. Do not reenter a burning building.

 

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