WASHINGTON鈥擜s you trim your tree or light your menorah, it鈥檚 important to remember that the holiday season sees more house fires than the rest of the year, fire officials say.
Steve Higginbotham, senior inspector with the City of Fairfax fire department, says it鈥檚 even more important to be prepared. Just in case, put together a fire escape plan and practice it with your family.
Higginbotham provides hands-on fire safety tips for the community in a unique way. The Life Safety Trailer, a mobile unit that simulates dangerous fire conditions, teaches kids and their parents how to respond to different situations. Higginbotham brings the trailer to schools and events around the community. The idea is to let people experience what a house fire is like, smoke included, and then show them how to get out safely. The smoke isn鈥檛 real, Higgbotham says. The real stuff is quite toxic. 鈥淔our or five breaths and you鈥檙e done.鈥�
On the top of Higginbotham鈥檚 list of fire safety tips: Close your bedroom door, and your child鈥檚. If there鈥檚 a fire while you鈥檙e sleeping, get down to the floor, away from the smoke. 鈥淲hen you reach the door, feel it to see if it鈥檚 hot,鈥� Higginbotham says. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 not hot, open it slowly and make your way out of the house.鈥�
During a real fire, the captain will look for people trapped inside. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l know when we get to your house because we make a lot of noise with bells and sirens,鈥� Higginbotham says. Still, make sure your fire escape plan has two exit strategies for each room. 鈥淓very bedroom has to have windows in it. If you鈥檝e got kids sleeping in a room without a window, move them.鈥�
He says another major component of your fire safety plan should be your designated outdoor meeting spot. Make sure everyone in your family knows where to reconvene after escaping the house.
Higginbotham says it鈥檚 startling how few parents have practiced their fire escape plans with their families. He says more fires happen at home than at school. 鈥淲e鈥檙e drilling them in schools but you need to have them at your house,鈥� he says, 鈥淚t would be a shame for everyone to get out and then mom looks at dad and says, 鈥渨here鈥檚 the baby.鈥� At that point it鈥檚 too late.鈥�
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have a plan to execute and that鈥檚 when the really bad things happen,鈥� Higginbotham says, 鈥渨hen people lose their lives.鈥�
Fairfax City fire department’s Life Safety Trailer teaches you what do do in a fire.
鈥� Kathy Stewart (@KStewart蜜桃视频app)
