Fire Evacuation:4selfdefence

 Design an Emergency Fire Evacuation Plan Planning for an emergency is critical, prevention is better than the cure; here are some precautions you should take to prevent a fire from starting in your home:

• Have a professional electrician check electrical appliances, leads and wiring in your house and replace any faulty appliances and or frayed wires to prevent a fire. Faulty electrical wiring is a leading cause of house fires.
• Have broken appliances repaired by a professional or replace them to keep your home safe from a fire.
• Make sure any type of materials is kept away from electric heaters.
• Keep curtains several inches above heaters, and never dry clothes on heaters.
• Clean clothes dryer vents. Lint building up in dryer vents can heat up and cause a fire. Vents should be cleaned every six months.
• Keep tee towels and oven mitts away from stoves while cooking. Also keep an eye on pots while cooking. Fires can start from over-boiling pots.
• Blow out candles when you leave a room for any length of time. Avoid leaving candles burning, if you're not in the room. A fire caused by a candle can spread quickly throughout the house.
• Before using any heating appliances including gas and electrical at the start of winter check them and make sure they are clean and connected properly.

In the event of a fire, possibly while you are sleeping you will only have a few minutes from when you hear the smoke alarm to when your life is seriously threatened by fire or smoke. It is very important that you prepare and practice an escape plan, and that every member of the household needs to know how to evacuate quickly and safely from each room of your home.

• Draw a plan of your home and involve everyone who lives there, Just a simple plan that is easy to understand. See build your own home evacuation plan.
• If possible, plan for two exits per room.
• Indicate the location of smoke alarms and portable fire extinguishers
  Plan for how you will evacuate young children and elderly or disabled persons.
• Decide on one meeting place outside, it should be away from danger and well lit at night.
• Ring 000 or get some one else to ring, all mobile phones should have 000 on there quick dial operation, preferably at no 1.

If you are a tenant in a building, the plan should be on every floor. If the building does not have an evacuation plan, discuss this with the property owner. It is illegal not to have an emergency evacuation plan.

When a smoke alarm sounds, exit immediately and take the following precautions:

• Feel the door with the back of your hand before opening it. If it is hot, use another exit. If that is not possible, attract attention out of a window (wave a towel, sheet, etc.)
• If possible, alert other occupants while evacuating.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a pillowcase or towel and drop to the floor then crawl on your hands and knees below smoke to avoid inhaling smoke and noxious gases.
• If your clothing catches fire: stop, drop and roll.
• Everyone should go to the designated meeting place to check if anyone is missing.
• Double check that someone has called 000
• Never re-enter a building to save someone else, an animal or personal effects. Wait for fire brigade to arrive.

Australia's Emergency Call Services numbers

• Triple Zero (000) is Australia's primary Emergency Call Service number and should be used to access emergency assistance from all telephones (land-line, mobile phones and payphone)
•  112 is the GSM standard Emergency Call Service number for use with GSM mobile phones, 112 can also be dialed from other mobile phones, but will only offer the same features that dialing Triple Zero (000) provides.
•  106 is the text-based Emergency Call Service for people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment. This service operates using a TTY (teletypewriter) and does not accept voice calls or SMS messages.
• Both 112 and 106 are secondary emergency call services numbers because they are for use only in relation to particular technologies.

Being prepared for an emergency:

• Once you have drawn up your plan it is now critical to be prepared for an emergency if it happens, the following procedures will increase your chances of survival: these procedures should be monitored and reviewed regularly
• Install at least one smoke alarm on each floor of your home and check it regularly.
• When resetting clocks for daylight savings, check the smoke alarm battery and replace it if necessary.
• Never remove the battery from a smoke alarm or disconnect it, even if it goes off without reason.
• Always keep hallways and balconies clear of obstruction to evacuate safely.
• Conduct a household evacuation drill regularly to avoid panic or confusion in the event of a fire outbreak. End each drill at the designated meeting spot outside the house.
• When sleeping, keep the bedroom door closed and unlocked; this can provide valuable extra time to make a safe escape in the event of a fire outbreak. Avoid having anyone sleep in an isolated part of the house where flames or smoke could be a trap.