|
CURRENT FEATURE ARTICLE OF THE MONTH
Below you will find our feature article of the month. Please read and enjoy. Past articles can be found in the archive listing in the right margin.
Any article/ technical advice given by Car Connection or The Car Connection Business Network are suggestions only. We recommend consulting with the manufacturer’s information to provide you with any clarification you may require. Car Connection and The Car connection Business Network assumes no responsibility whatsoever. It is left to the consumer to conduct their own research and ultimately create their own conclusion. Thank You for your co operation in advance.
Praise for Car Connection
"I enjoy, and find your weekly Car Connection helpful."
Robert Lampman
Ontario, Canada
|
| E.D.I.T.H. = Exit Drills In The Home |
2008-09-30 |
|
E.D.I.T.H. = Exit Drills In The Home.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure was never more true than with fire prevention. Teaching the family to safely escape a fire is far better than visiting a burn ward at the hospital.
This is where EDITH can help. EDITH stands for Exit Drills In The Home. Here is how EDITH works.
Draw a floor plan of your home. It doesn’t have to be exact, just a representation that the kids can easily understand. Show every floor of the house and label each room. Include stairways, hallways, windows, balconies and roofs that can be used to escape from the home as well as the meeting place outside the home. Use two different colored markers and plan two escape routes from every bedroom and two escape routes from every floor in the home. Designate one color as the primary exit and the other color as the emergency exit, in case fire blocks the primary exit.
Second floor rooms can be tricky, but are not impossible. A little pre-planning and a strategy will probably present itself. The stair case is one exit. A fire escape rope ladder is another exit. A wooden toy chest or bench style toy box is a great idea to place under a window. Place the rope ladder inside and teach the kids how to use it. Don’t let the toys cover up the ladder, instead, fashion a way to hold the fire escape ladder on the under side of the lid to the toy box, this way when the toy box is opened, the ladder is right in front of you and easily used and the toys can be placed in the box as well. The kids can use the toy box to step on and get themselves up to the window. Do a little R & D on fire escape rope ladders and choose the deployment method that best suits your families’ needs.
If you live in an apartment building, do your best to find two exits. Do not use Elevators they may take you right to the fire floor - Firemen don’t use elevators in a fire, you shouldn’t either.
Test the door with the back of your hand. If the door feels hot, use another exit.
Designate a gathering place outside the home, where everyone can be accounted for. If someone is missing, tell the first arriving firefighters as much as you can. Name, age, where they were in the home, what they might have been doing along with any medical conditions they might have are all important bits of information to tell the firefighters. With that information, they’ll devise a plan of action and start searching for anyone missing. Find a meting place in a safe area, well away from any possible falling debris or heat from the fire. Keep in mind that we live in Western New York and in Canada. Take the elements into consideration when picking a meeting place.
Don’t take time to call the fire department from inside a burning building, get out and use a cell phone or call from a neighbor’s home. Show the meeting place and where to go to make the call to the fire department on your floor plan. Include the emergency phone number on the floor plan if you have smaller children.
Firefighters are trained Life First, Property Second. Once the firefighters determine there is no longer a risk to life, they will concentrate on property conservation. Keep in mind that they use water to put out the fire, they will do the best they can to preserve property, but putting out the fire is the next priority.
Practice an escape plan with the whole family at least twice a year. Changing the batteries in the smoke detectors in the spring and fall, when we set the clocks, is a great time to practice your escape drill.
This is also a great time to let the kids have a little fun. Mom and Dad can stretch out a sheet or blanket between them, about waist high. Wiggle the blanket up and down a little and help the kids to visualize the blanket as a layer of smoke. The kids have to crawl under the blanket to escape. Get a little creative. One time have the blanket just outside the bedroom door, next time stretch the blanket out above the stairs and have the kids figure a way to get down the stairs, below the smoke. Sometimes, get the blanket really close to the floor and have the kids really get low to get under the blanket. Teach the kids to roll out of bed and stay low to the floor. Stretch the blanket out over the bed and practice. When the kids get older, they just might bring up the fact that Mom and Dad taught us how to escape a fire, and we had fun doing it. These are life lessons and great family memories that hardly cost a thing and take up just a bit of your time.
Practice getting out quickly, but safely. Mom or Dad can time how long it takes to get out of the house and get to a meeting place. Practice the escape plan until everyone knows their role and everyone is happy with their time.
Inspect doors and windows often to ensure they are operating properly and the kids can open them easily.
If you have questions or need help with your fire escape planning, contact your local fire department and ask, they’ll be happy to help.
Let EDITH be your ounce of prevention when it comes to teaching your family how to escape if your house catches fire.
Until next time, stay fire safe!
Captain Dale
|
|
|
