Forming a Fire Evacuation Plan Effectively

1/29/2020 (Permalink)

For businesses, using signs and practicing your fire evacuation plan with employees can help ensure their safety in a disaster.

A fire evacuation plan is a written or verbal blueprint for how to remove people from dangerous smoke or fires. Not having a plan can lead to confusion and chaos as well as possible injury or death. Of course, no one ever imagines that a fire will happen at their home or business. However, a small spark can quickly turn into rampant flames, and wildfires can rapidly move into residential areas. Therefore, it is vital that home and business owners prepare to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

The Benefits of Having a Fire Evacuation Plan

As mentioned, it is important to have fire evacuation plans in place in order to protect against injury and loss of life. While this is certainly the most important benefit, it is not the only reason why it is important for you to draft a plan as soon as possible. If you are a homeowner, you should know that fire can spread quickly throughout your residence. In fact, you most likely only have two minutes to get your family members and yourself out of your home after hearing the smoke detector. A plan will help you move quickly without giving in to panic.

As an employer or manager, OSHA most likely requires you to have some type of emergency preparedness plan in place. Your plan will also benefit you by setting up a clear chain of command and by giving employees regular opportunities to practice evacuating. When employees know what to expect, they will be able to move faster while maintaining a sense of order even in the face of danger. It can be difficult to think about danger entering your home or business, but taking the time to craft an evacuation plan significantly improves everyone’s chances of survival.

A Thoughtful Plan for Homeowners

If you are crafting a plan for your family, you must first consider the possible ways to escape from your home. After drawing out these routes, you should let all family members know what they should do in case of a fire. Tell them how they can escape from the home, what they should take with them, where they should go and how they can contact you or another close family member. You may want to set up a safe spot in your neighborhood and include plans for rescuing pets. Write down every part of your plan, and regularly practice evacuating with your family members.

Next, complete your plan by building a disaster kit. This bag should be placed next to the primary emergency exit in your home so that someone can easily grab it while running to the safe spot. Include emergency health information, cash, extra clothing, telephone chargers and other items that will help you connect with each other, maintain your health and rebuild your life following a fire.

A Well-Crafted Plan for Business Owners

Fire evacuation plans for business owners have similar goals but can be more detailed because of the larger size of the building and the number of employees present. The plan should first establish an emergency preparedness team. This team will be responsible for crafting the rest of the plan.

Evacuation routes are vital and should be posted near doors in every room of the building. Evacuation plans should also prepare for certain contingencies, such as blocked stairways. The plan should tell employees what they should do if they spot a fire and where safe evacuation locations are. Finally, the team should schedule regular evacuation drills at least once each year so that employees can memorize their responsibilities.

Restoration Following Fire Damage

Should a fire break out in your home or business, your primary goal is to protect the lives of those under your care. However, once the danger is past, you will quickly recognize a new goal, which is to repair and rebuild what was damaged by the fire. Professional help is vital for repairing damage to walls, floors, and ceilings from smoke, soot, and fire. Plus, you will need to consider addressing the water damage that occurred from firefighting efforts.

At SERVPRO of Winter Park, FL, we can provide quick emergency services for homes and businesses. With plenty of training to respond to any type of fire disaster, our technicians will help you restore what you have lost rather than making you replace all your damaged property. Not only can this ease your financial burden when filing an insurance claim, but also it can let you get back to your life as quickly as possible. If your home or business has sustained fire damage, make sure to give us a call at (407) 678-5391 to get your property back to the way it was.