Fire Department - Fire Prevention Tips - Borough Of Pine Hill, NJ Main

Fire Department, Prevention Tips:

Operation E.D.I.T.H. (Exit Drills In The Home)

This program teaches the importance of home fire drills. Our fire safety trailer helps us teach this fire safety lesson in a number of ways.

Lesson objectives:

Explain and show why we need to crawl in smoke. The trailer generates theatrical smoke that has roughly the same properties of real smoke. It tends to rise to the ceiling, showing the children the importance of staying low.

Explain and show why we need to know, and practice, two ways out of every room. The second floor bedroom has a door that is heated. The children are taught to feel the door with the back of their hand for heat before opening it. If the door is hot they must escape via a different route (the ladder from the second floor balcony.)

Explain the importance of having an agreed upon meeting place so that everyone can be accounted for. This could be a neighbor's house, a tree, or even the family car. Any place will work, so long as everybody in the house knows of it in advance.

Explain and show how smoke detectors work and explain the importance of changing the battery (children normally ask their parents about this as soon as they get home). The detectors in the trailer are fully functional and operate when the 'smoke' is released. The children are shown what to expect and taught what to do when the alarm activates.

Explain and show how to use the 911 system. The children are allowed to use the in-house telephone to call 911 and report the 'incident.' The children are taught that they must escape before they call, if at all possible. The control room operator acts as the '911 Operator'. The children are taught that they can call 911 if they think they need a fire truck, ambulance, police officer, or anytime they are alone and scared and don't know what to do.

Operation E.D.I.T.H consists of three basic sections:

Step 1: Planning your escape

Step 2: The family meeting

Step 3: The fire drills in the home

Step 1: Planning your escape

A. The floor plan

Draw an outline or plan of your house or apartment. Make a drawing for each floor. Dimensions do not have to be correct.

Now add the rooms and label them. Show important details: stairs, hallways, roofs that can be used as fire escapes.

Choose a family meeting place and show it on the map.

B. Inspection of your house.

Check each room for the best way to escape.

Test windows and doors - do they open easy enough? Are they wide enough, or tall enough?

Now would be an excellent time to check you smoke detectors. Do you have one on each floor, and one in each sleeping area? Have the batteries been changed recently? Does it work when you press the test button?

No smoke detector? Get one now!

C. Finish your escape plan.

Use two different color pens to show the normal way out, and the emergency way out.

Also, mark the location of your meeting place.

Here are some tips

Be sure that everyone has at least two (2) ways out.

Escape ladders may be necessary.

Any security devices should open easily. You may not have time to find a key.

Never use the elevator in a fire!

Step 2: The family meeting

Discuss your plan and these following points and procedures with your family.

Always sleep with bedroom doors closed. This will keep the deadly heat and smoke out of the bedrooms, giving you the additional time you need to escape.

Find a way for everyone to sound a family fire alarm. Yelling, pounding walls, whistles, etc...

In a fire it is seconds, not minutes, that count. Don't waste time getting dressed, don't search for pets or valuables. Just get out.

Roll out of bed. Stay low. One breath of smoke or heated gases may be enough to kill you.

Feel all doors before opening them, there may be fire on the other side. If the door is hot (or even warm with newer, insulated doors) use your second way out! Never open a hot door! Ever!

Once outside, go immediately to the family meeting place and stay there! Wait for the other members of your family to show up. Never re-enter a burning structure for any reason.

Call the fire department from a neighbor's house. Tell the dispatcher if everyone is out or not.

Step 3: The fire drills in the home

Begin with everyone in his or her bed.

Sound the alarm. Press the smoke detector test button. Yell FIRE! Or use some other signal that your family members will recognize.

Everyone should roll out of bed, crawl on the floor, following their primary exit path (first way out). At the door they will feel for heat.

First time: Use the normal exit. Brace your shoulder against the door and open it slowly, always ready to slam it shut at the sign of heavy smoke or fire.

Second time: Pretend the doors are hot. Everyone must use their second way out.

Gather at your designated meeting place. Have someone pretend to call the fire department.

Get together and sit down to talk about what happened during the drill, what went right and what went wrong. Strengthen the weak things. Change parts of your plan that do not work.

Conduct an exit drill at least twice a year. Unless these skills are known and practiced by every family member you may not have enough time to escape a fire in your home.

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Copyright © 2003 Borough of Pine Hill.
All rights reserved. Revised: February 22, 2008
Web Site Comments to: lbuchanan@pinehillboronj.com
Please specify Borough of Pine Hill in subject.

	Explain and show why we need to crawl in smoke. The trailer generates theatrical smoke that has roughly the same properties of real smoke. It tends to rise to the ceiling, showing the children the importance of staying low.
	Explain and show why we need to know, and practice, two ways out of every room. The second floor bedroom has a door that is heated. The children are taught to feel the door with the back of their hand for heat before opening it. If the door is hot they must escape via a different route (the ladder from the second floor balcony.)
	Explain the importance of having an agreed upon meeting place so that everyone can be accounted for. This could be a neighbor's house, a tree, or even the family car. Any place will work, so long as everybody in the house knows of it in advance.
	Explain and show how smoke detectors work and explain the importance of changing the battery (children normally ask their parents about this as soon as they get home). The detectors in the trailer are fully functional and operate when the 'smoke' is released. The children are shown what to expect and taught what to do when the alarm activates.
	Explain and show how to use the 911 system. The children are allowed to use the in-house telephone to call 911 and report the 'incident.' The children are taught that they must escape before they call, if at all possible. The control room operator acts as the '911 Operator'. The children are taught that they can call 911 if they think they need a fire truck, ambulance, police officer, or anytime they are alone and scared and don't know what to do.

	Draw an outline or plan of your house or apartment. Make a drawing for each floor. Dimensions do not have to be correct.
	Now add the rooms and label them. Show important details: stairs, hallways, roofs that can be used as fire escapes.
	Choose a family meeting place and show it on the map.

	Check each room for the best way to escape.
	Test windows and doors - do they open easy enough? Are they wide enough, or tall enough?
	Now would be an excellent time to check you smoke detectors. Do you have one on each floor, and one in each sleeping area? Have the batteries been changed recently? Does it work when you press the test button?
	No smoke detector? Get one now!

	Use two different color pens to show the normal way out, and the emergency way out.
	Also, mark the location of your meeting place.

	Be sure that everyone has at least two (2) ways out.
	Escape ladders may be necessary.
	Any security devices should open easily. You may not have time to find a key.
	Never use the elevator in a fire!

	Always sleep with bedroom doors closed. This will keep the deadly heat and smoke out of the bedrooms, giving you the additional time you need to escape.
	Find a way for everyone to sound a family fire alarm. Yelling, pounding walls, whistles, etc...
	In a fire it is seconds, not minutes, that count. Don't waste time getting dressed, don't search for pets or valuables. Just get out.
	Roll out of bed. Stay low. One breath of smoke or heated gases may be enough to kill you.
	Feel all doors before opening them, there may be fire on the other side. If the door is hot (or even warm with newer, insulated doors) use your second way out! Never open a hot door! Ever!
	Once outside, go immediately to the family meeting place and stay there! Wait for the other members of your family to show up. Never re-enter a burning structure for any reason.
	Call the fire department from a neighbor's house. Tell the dispatcher if everyone is out or not.

	Begin with everyone in his or her bed.
	Sound the alarm. Press the smoke detector test button. Yell FIRE! Or use some other signal that your family members will recognize.
	Everyone should roll out of bed, crawl on the floor, following their primary exit path (first way out). At the door they will feel for heat.
	First time: Use the normal exit. Brace your shoulder against the door and open it slowly, always ready to slam it shut at the sign of heavy smoke or fire.
	Second time: Pretend the doors are hot. Everyone must use their second way out.
	Gather at your designated meeting place. Have someone pretend to call the fire department.
	Get together and sit down to talk about what happened during the drill, what went right and what went wrong. Strengthen the weak things. Change parts of your plan that do not work.
	Conduct an exit drill at least twice a year. Unless these skills are known and practiced by every family member you may not have enough time to escape a fire in your home.


Top of Page	Main Page
Copyright © 2003 Borough of Pine Hill. All rights reserved. Revised: February 22, 2008 Web Site Comments to: lbuchanan@pinehillboronj.com Please specify Borough of Pine Hill in subject.