Make a Home Fire Escape Plan (Free Printable Grid)

Why a plan matters: the time is shorter than you think

Once a smoke alarm sounds, you could have less than 2 minutes to get out of a burning home. USFA (source, opens in a new tab) Modern furnishings and open floor plans make home fires more severe than they used to be, which is why being ready to leave immediately matters. USFA (source, opens in a new tab)

Most people overestimate that time. In an NFPA survey, one-third of American households who made an estimate thought they would have at least 6 minutes before a fire became life-threatening, and only 8% said their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab) While 71% of Americans have an escape plan, only 47% of those have practiced it. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)

How to make your escape plan, step by step

1. Get everyone together. Make the plan as a household and walk through the home looking at every possible exit. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)
2. Draw the map. Use the grid in our printable: draw each floor, every door and every window. Mark where each smoke alarm is. USFA (source, opens in a new tab) NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)
3. Two ways out of every room. The door is usually the first; a window is often the second. Check that doors and windows open easily and are not blocked. USFA (source, opens in a new tab) NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)
4. Pick the meeting place. Something fixed, a safe distance in front of the house: a neighbor's house, a light post, the mailbox or a stop sign. Mark it on the plan. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)
5. Name a helper. If anyone needs help getting out, such as an infant, an older adult or someone with limited mobility, assign one person to help them, and a backup in case that person is not home. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)
6. Everyone learns 911. Make sure everyone, children included, knows how to call 911 from outside, on a mobile phone or from a neighbor's. Red Cross (source, opens in a new tab) NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)

Run the drill

Practice your plan at least twice a year, and make the drill as realistic as possible. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab) Start it by pushing the smoke alarm's test button, so everyone learns that sound means leave now. USFA (source, opens in a new tab) Tick the steps off as your household completes them; your progress is saved on this device.

If there is a real fire

• Get out and stay out. Yell "Fire!" and go. Leave belongings behind. Red Cross (source, opens in a new tab)
• Feel the door first. If a closed door or its handle is warm, or smoke blocks the way, use your second way out. Never open a door that is warm to the touch. Red Cross (source, opens in a new tab)
• Get low under smoke and close doors behind you as you go. Red Cross (source, opens in a new tab)
• If you are trapped, stay in the room with the door closed, put a wet towel under the door, call 911, and signal from a window with a bright cloth or a flashlight. Red Cross (source, opens in a new tab)
• Never go back inside. If someone is missing, tell the 911 dispatcher; firefighters have the equipment to perform rescues. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)

Close the door

A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab) Each bedroom needs its own smoke alarm inside, so a closed door does not stop you hearing a fire. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab) Interconnected alarms make sure every alarm sounds at once. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)

Make sure responders can find you

Go out to the road and look at your house number. Responders need to see it from the street, day and night; if they cannot, paint it on the curb or put up house numbers. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab) Red Cross (source, opens in a new tab)

• Security bars on windows or doors need emergency release devices inside, so they can be opened immediately. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)
• Tell overnight guests your plan, and ask about the plan when your children stay over at a friend's house. NFPA (source, opens in a new tab)
• Agree on a way to reach each other if the household gets separated. Red Cross (source, opens in a new tab)

Frequently asked questions