With busy lives, even the most responsible homeowners can forget to make an escape plan in the event of fire or hostile intrusion. It is one of those things that pops in and out of minds, forever postponed by seemingly more pressing, immediate concerns. That, however, is a huge mistake and one that needs to be avoided, even if it means that you stop reading right now.

Fire Emergency Plan - Greensboro NC - Fire Safe Chimney

By All Means, Plan Your Escape

All of us hope that an escape plan will never be necessary, but every family needs one and it needs to be rehearsed from time to time. That is especially true for young children, who can need repetition to learn, but no less important for teens and parents. Like an actor who prepares well and then effortlessly slips into the role, practice improves the chances of a good performance.

Even repeatedly talking through an escape plan at the dinner table better prepares everyone to act without thinking when needed. When the shrill beep of the smoke alarms is driving everyone crazy, there is no time to consult a diagram or try to recall a forgotten plan. All of it needs to be imprinted as deeply as possible in the entire family’s consciousness and it should not be postponed.

We Just Said It Shouldn’t Be Postponed…

In one way, we love that you are still reading, but in another, we want you to go make your plan. We are all familiar with ‘the best laid plans’ going awry, but that is no reason to have no plan at all in place. Some things can be reasonably predicted, such as the most likely places for fire to start.

After you draw up a provisional plan, another good idea is to call in a chimney sweep. They can offer a knowledge base and wealth of experience to fine-tune your escape plan, and they can help you never have to use it. That is a combination of services hard to beat, and …. why are you still reading?