Remember the name EDITH:
EXIT DRILLS IN THE HOME

Have an escape route planned: sit down with your family. Talk about what you should do in case of fire. Organize a step-by-step plan for your escape.

Evacuation: know two ways out: Discuss and diagram two ways out from every room, especially bedrooms. Include all the hallways and stairs.

In an apartment: Be able to unlock a deadbolt lock quickly. Know how to get to the enclosed exit stairs. And never take an elevator – it could take you to the fire.

In a two-storey house: Make sure everyone knows how to unlock and open all windows and doors quickly and easily. If you are escaping from a second story, be sure you have a safe way to get to the ground. Make special arrangements for small children and people with disabilities.

Check all exits: Check all possible fire exits. Do all windows open easily? Are any exits blocked with furniture or trash? Do second story windows require fire ladders? Always sleep with interior doors closed. This will slow the speed of fire and smoke and increase your chances of escape.

Get out fast: Exit as quickly as possible. If it’s smoky get down on hands and knees and crawl. Smoke rises while clean air stays low near the floor. Stay low. And crawl fast. Once outside, go to the family meeting place.

Do not go back: Make sure everyone in the family understands the importance of not going back. For anything! If you go back, you may not come back.

Choose a meeting place: Have a place outdoors for everyone to meet for roll call. Make sure everyone knows the number of the fire department and can identify the neighbor’s house for calling the number.

If you are trapped: Put closed doors between you and smoke. Stuff cracks and cover vents to keep smoke out. Wait at the window and signal with flashlight or sheet.

Practice your plan: Have a fire drill in your home or ask the management to schedule one in your apartment building. Practice E.D.I.T.H. twice a year, and if you move, devise a new plan.

Choose a monitor: Appoint someone to sound the alarm and time the drill, making sure everyone uses their second escape route and crawls low under smoke.

Start from bedrooms: Most fatal fires occur at night when everyone is asleep. So, go to your bedroom, close the door and wait for the monitor to sound the alarm.

Crawl Low: Practice crawling fast and staying low to escape smoke. So get down on your knees and crawl, maintaining contact with the walls as you head to the nearest exit.

Test the Door: Test doors, using the back of your hands. If hot, take your second way out; if not, brace your shoulder against the
door and open it carefully, being ready to close it quickly if heat or smoke rushes in.

Play it Safe: Install Smoke Detectors. Their early warning can provide you with those crucial extra seconds that could save your life!

For Families, Groups of Persons or Business Employees: Go to the pre-determined meeting place. Get out fast and go to the meeting place, where the monitor will then take a head count and review the drill, discussing any problems with escape routes.

E.D.I.T.H. can save your life! Learn the drill:
1. Everyone in bedrooms, doors closed
2. Monitor sounds the alarm
3. Crawl low under smoke
4. Test door. Pretend it’s hot and use alternate escape
5. When clothing is on fire, remember three things STOP • DROP • ROLL

Learn the emergency number of the Fire Department – 911 or 919. Be prepared to give the Fire Department key information: name, location of fire, type of fire, your telephone number.

General Tips:
• Don’t leave children alone near cooking or heating appliances
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach.
• Make sure elderly persons take sensible fire precautions.
• When smoking, use large ash trays.
• Do not empty butts or ashes after entertaining guests.
• Don’t smoke in bed. It is a major cause of home fires.
• Don’t smoke in a workshop or garage.
• Don’t use a naked light in a garage or workshop.
• Don’t overload extension cords or outlets. Don’t patch worn cords or use cracked plugs, replace them. Don’t nail or staple cords. Do not place them under rugs and carpeting or across hooks and nails. Untie knots in cords. Knots damage insulation and pinch the wires. Replace blown fuses with the correct size. Candles and oil-burning lamps should have stable holders and should be used in open, well-ventilated areas away from combustibles. If you are leaving a room, extinguish all flames. Never leave a child alone with an open flame, even briefly. Keep flashlights and batteries ready. Walking around with a candle during an emergency could be dangerous.