WASHINGTON — The holidays are fast approaching, and with them, are memories of the horrific fire that killed an Annapolis family when their Christmas tree went up in flames back in January.
So how much time do you have to get out of your house when there’s a fire? Probably not as much as you think.
A 2015 Red Cross survey shows people are still misinformed about house fire safety, and this false sense of security can cost lives.
“People think they have as many as 10 minutes to get out of a home during a fire, but the data shows you really have as few as two minutes,” says Russ Paulsen, Executive Director of Community Preparedness Programs for the Red Cross.
There are simple steps you can take to protect your family, like installing smoke detectors and testing them monthly. “A single working smoke alarm can cut your risk of death from a fire by 50 percent,” Paulsen says.
Practice home fire drills several times a year with the goal of getting everyone out of the house in two minutes. “Do it over and over until everyone can get out in two minutes, because that may be as long as you have and it can literally make a difference between life or death,” Paulsen says.
Also make sure your family designates an outside meeting place in the event of a fire. Paulsen says a blaze doubles in size roughly every minute. One of the most dangerous things to do is to go back inside looking for a missing family member. “The fire that may not have seemed all that big when you were escaping can be monstrous when you go back in,” he says.
Only 10 percent of families surveyed have practiced home fire drills. While 24 percent of families say they have designated a safe place to meet outside.
Every day, seven people in the U.S. die in house fires.
