Make an Escape Plan for National Fire Prevention Week

As a facility manager, you are responsible for the safety of your building’s occupants. Would they know how to safely evacuate the facility during a fire?

National Fire Prevention Week, October 6-12, is the ideal time to plan and practice an escape plan. In a fire, building residents may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Having a building-wide escape plan and practicing it during fire drills may make all the difference in saving facility occupants in the event of a real fire.

When creating your facility’s escape plan, map out a layout of your building indicating two exits from each room—typically a door and a window—and a path from each exit to the outside. Pick a place outside the building where everyone will meet upon exiting.

Testing your facility’s smoke alarms and training employees in fire extinguisher use are other appropriate activities for National Fire Prevention Week.