An Emergency Fire Plan That Could Save Your Life
Having a solid fire escape plan may help you replace panic with logical, life-saving actions if a fire occurs. Knowing exactly what to do and doing it quickly can make a big difference in an emergency.
Most people killed by fires are actually overcome in their sleep from gas, lack of oxygen, hot air, and smoke, or wake up too late or confused to escape. Flames are last on the list of killers. That’s why your best defense from a fire is properly installed and maintained smoke, LPG and carbon monoxide detectors. Test your detectors weekly to be sure the batteries have enough power and the detectors are in working order. Recognizing the signals from each type of detector is important because different reactions are required for each type of alarm. With smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, stay low when they sound. LPG gas gathers low, so the best action is standing upright when you hear the LPG detector. An easy way to remember what to do is to observe the placement of the detectors. If they’re placed high, then you should stay low, and vice versa. Weekly testing will also help you become very familiar with the varying sounds. The more automatic your response to a fire alarm in your RV, the better. To help make your response more automatic, establish a fire escape plan and have fire drills regularly. The first step to developing an effective plan is to make sure everyone is familiar with at least two escape routes - one in the front and one in the rear. As soon as they’re old enough, teach children to open hatches and emergency exits.
Establish a meeting place if a fire occurs. A preset meeting place will quickly determine if everyone has safely exited the RV. When discussing the meeting place, make sure everyone knows if the RV is on fire, they should get out fast. Re-emphasize to everyone aboard that objects can be replaced, people can’t. Never stay behind or re-enter a burning RV to retrieve anything. Immediately leave through the nearest escape hatch.
To begin your firedrill, start with everyone seated with seat belts on. From this position, discuss the different ways you could exit the coach without using the main entrance door. Next have everyone get into their sleeping quarters. Sound the alarm using the test button on a detector, a whistle or a shout. Start by rolling out of bed and crawling low on the floor where the air is clearer. Proceed immediately to your pre-determined safe meeting place and make sure no one is missing. If you are worried about a pet, know your animal’s instinct will be to escape the fire. Although it may seem callous to think through how you’d react if your pet were trapped inside, make the decision now whether your pet’s life is worth risking your own.
Your RV fire escape plan should incorporate the needs of all occupants, including the young, elderly and disabled. Remove any barriers that might hinder a disabled person and install extra handles on windows escape hatches. Also arrange for a family member to assist those who may need help, and have a disability or elderly people sleep close to a safe exit.
You may also need to tailor your plan to accommodate a visually, or hearing, impaired person. A whistle can aid a visually impaired person who needs to signal for help during an evacuation. Alarms that sound intermittently allow for an exchange of emergency information otherwise masked by the noise of a constant alarm. Continuous sounding alarms can disorient people who are auditorydependent. Visual signaling systems are now available for those who can’t hear smoke alarms. Posting emergency information on your RV windows can alert rescuers to the fact there’s a person with special needs.
For those individuals who are mentally challenged, it’s a good idea to have someone sleeping nearby that’s available and ready to help in an emergency. And for those with a physical disability, a bedside whistle, fire extinguisher, or a cell phone should be within reach.
Visitors should know how to open the entrance door. You’ll also want to make sure your travel companions know how to disconnect ground power and turn off the propane valves, in case either measures are needed.
Your success in a fire will have a lot to do with three main factors: recognizing hazards and taking preventive measures, acting intelligently at the outbreak of a fire, and taking action to limit damage. Even when you’re prepared for an RV fire, it’s still shocking, scary, and a traumatic experience. BE PREPARED.
Hopefully, you’ll never have to put your fire plan into action. However, if you do, remember to keep calm and get out of your RV like you practiced during fire drills. Stay focused on your primary objective - getting yourself and your passengers out of the RV safely.
Written by Mac McCoy 30-year Fire-fighting Veteran
