Protect Your Family From a Fire Protect Your Family A fire is a scary and an unexpected disaster. It can happen in a blink of an eye, whether from lighting or from leaving a straightening iron on. You want to protect your family and home from this horrible disaster if possible, but how? When it comes to a fire, there are steps you can take to protect your family from fire. Have an Escape Route While you never want to have to use an escape route for a disaster, escape routes do save lives. Do you have one in place? If not, it is never too late to make an escape route. The first step in making a route is drawing your whole home including doors and windows. Once you have drawn out your home, you will want to map out the easiest way out of your house if a fire were to occur. You should always have at least two or three backup routes in case your main route is blocked. After you have a couple of escape routes and your family knows them, it is time to practice. Just like in school, you should have drills. Doing drills at home allows you and your family to feel comfortable with the different escape routes. Do not just practice your escape routes under everyday circumstances. You should also practice getting out of bed and finding your way in the dark. See if You Can Extinguish the Fire Yourself The first thing you need to do after you see flames is to call 911. Once you know 911 is on their way, you need to examine the area to see if you can extinguish part or all of the fire. Small fires can often be extinguished with the help of a normal home fire extinguisher. Always know where your extinguisher is and how to use it. Putting out a small fire as quickly as possible is often the safest way to protect your home and family. Stop, Drop, and Crawl When a fire starts, smoke comes right along with it. If you encounter smoke on your way out, be sure to stop, drop, and crawl. You will first need to stop and cover your nose and mouth with a towel or article of clothing to filter out some of the smoke. Once you have your nose and mouth covered, drop to the floor. The smoke will be less dense near the floor, and the air will be cleaner. After dropping to the floor, crawl until you have cleared the smoke. This process is also a good thing to practice during your family fire drills. Post Fire Fires leave havoc behind. You may not know where to start after a fire. The first step should be to call the professionals at DC Water Restoration. We have 24/7 fire damage restoration services, and we cover fire, smoke, and water damage. Give us a call today if you need help cleaning up after a fire.