Help my family with a fire escape plan. please!

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amother

Cobalt

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 9:28 pm

Its always been my biggest fear that there would be a fire in my house cvs lo aleienu, and my kids wouldn't know how to get out. They are 1.5, 3 and 5.

My 3 and 5 yr olds know about fire safety, stop, drop and roll and they know where we would meet if we had to escape.

The problem is, that the way my house was built, there are 2 bedrooms on the main level, and 2 upstairs. My 1.5 yr old and 3 yr old have rooms upstairs and dh and I are on the main level, as is my 5 yr old.

My baby couldn't get out of his crib in an emergency, and my 3 yr old isnt going to climb out a window.... It sounds so scarey just writing it.

I can't stop thinking about it since this tragedy.

Should I actually worry enough to switch their rooms around?

How can I make this safe for everyone?

amother

Fuchsia

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 9:35 pm

call your fire department and they can help you make a plan.

amother

Blue

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 9:44 pm

Also get a chain ladder so you don't have to jump

miriaml

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 9:45 pm

If you install smoke detectors in the right places you should be able to get your children out in time. Here's more information https://www.facebook.com/15903.....eater

amother

Green

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 9:55 pm

I dont' want to hijack op's thread, but I have the same question. I live on a second floor apartment of a two family house. the bedrooms are all in the back and the entrance is all the way in the front past the kitchen and down the steps. I have a 3 year old and a one year old who sleep in separate rooms. baby is too young to do anything and 3 year old is too young to climb out alone. What can we do? How can we make a plan to get them both out safely if needed (ch'v)?

amother

Cobalt

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 10:01 pm

We have smoke detectors where we should. Im more concerned that I wont be able to get up the stairs and get my 1.5 and 3 yr olds, who are in two seperate rooms, and get out safely.

gp2.0

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 10:13 pm

It seems impossible to me to have a fire escape plan that would work in an actual fire - other than that plan being, each adult grabs an equal amount of kids and zooms out the nearest exit.

You have no way of knowing where a fire would start, or how developed the fire would be by the time you discovered it. You have no way of knowing if you would all be on the same floor, or the same room, or each of you in a different room on a different floor. Kids who act calm during a drill may panic during the actual event and freeze or hide until an adult finds them. I can't imagine relying on a kid to exit on their own.

The only part I can imagine planning would be to make sure all rooms have two exits and that none of those exits are blocked or hard to access. For example, rooms and stairs should not be cluttered, especially at night, bedroom doors should not be locked at night, etc. Make sure windows aren't stuck or painted shut, screens aren't rusted or locked, etc.

http://www.ready.gov/home-fires

Last edited by gp2.0 on Mon, Mar 23 2015, 10:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Copper

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 10:16 pm

I have this big knot in my stomach since the tragedy. . The thing is I live in a 6th floor appartement. What happens if chas vesholom a fire breaks out on a lower floor and the smoke/fire reaches the staircase before we manage to escape????? How can I have a f ire escape plan? There are so many possibilities of how a fire cud happen in such a big building. The only way out is the indoors staircase... im n so scared that I cudnt sleep since...any ideas?

STovah

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 10:18 pm

amother wrote:

When was your building built? Is it new construction?

amother

Copper

Mon, Mar 23 2015, 10:21 pm

Very old building. .wud 100- 130 yrs old

Ruchel

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:03 am

One should have a plan, but you managed to live before and you need to live after. The odds did not change.

Raisin

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:10 am

I think invest in really good smoke alarms for your peace of mind. Being on the same floor as your kids may or may not help in the case of the fire, but working smoke alarms will.

tovli toraspicha

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:48 am

amother wrote:

your building doesn't have a fire escape? Is that legal?

amother

Cobalt

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 11:43 am

Ruchel your right. Our safety is no more or less, then it was before this tragedy. This is something ive always had a concern about, it is just on my mind more now.

Scrabble123

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 11:55 am

There are special Windows that are supposed to aid escape in case of a fire ch"v. The stores that sell them may also sell other fire escape items.

greenfire

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 12:15 pm

maybe we need specialized masks that enable us to breathe like the firemen ... then we could go in & grab kids

we cannot expect toddlers to know how to escape a fire ... many adults would stand there with their mouths agape ~

sitting

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 12:17 pm

Pls call ur local fire brigade for advise

animeme

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 12:23 pm

I have one of those ladders that go out the window, and I keep my baby carrier with it. So if I can get to the baby/toddler's room, the kid can go in the carrier and be carried without hands. It may not be indicated for toddlers but I figure it would work in a pinch, especially if the kid is hanging on or if I have just one hand available.

amother

Navy

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 9:32 pm

I have exact same setup as OP, just more kids. The only thing I have been thinking about lately, which is probably none too realistic, is to keep a hammer next to my ladder in the back yard, run out and put the ladder up and smash the window and pull my kids out. Obviously there are a million things that can go wrong with this plan. Everything that kids learn about fire is when they are awake, they're not going to react when they are half asleep and if the fire is right there ch"v then of course they will panic. And yah, babies can't climb out of cribs. So I really don't see any solution, except greenfire's idea, to get those special masks. I have also not been sleeping at night, worrying that I'll miss a fire Ch"v. I've always worried about fires b/c I've heard so many terrible stories. Bedrooms should not be built upstairs. But it's too late for that.

quinny

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 9:58 pm

Im worried for my 4 year she sleeps off the kitchen with a skylight no other windows!God forbid if something does happen....can't even think about it

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