Fire Prevention Safety Tips

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

You always need to know 2 ways out of any room.  If you are in a building and a fire breaks out and one of your escape routes is blocked by fire, the 2nd route could save your life.  Please ensure young children understand the importance of knowing 2 ways out of every room and practice these drills with them.

Crawl low under smoke

Smoke and toxic gases produced by fire rise like a hot air balloon in the sky.  As a fire builds more smoke and gas is given off.  This smoke and gas rise and once at the ceiling, it spreads out across the entire ceiling.  Before you know it, the upper part of the room will be filled with deadly smoke and gas.  Soon the only part of the room that will be tenable for escape is on the floor.  If you ever find yourself in a building that is on fire and filling with smoke, get on the floor and crawl out one of your 2 escape routes.  Once outside, never go back in, instead, call 9-1-1 and report to your central meeting point and wait for the arrival of the Hyannis Fire / Rescue Department.

Central meeting point

A central meeting point is 1 designated location that all members of your family agree to meet at in the event of a fire in your home.  Preferably, your central meeting spot should be in the front yard, so when the Hyannis Fire / Rescue Department arrives they can see you and you can advise them if anyone is missing.  Examples of central meeting points are the mailbox in the front yard or your neighbor’s front porch.