Scruit Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 So, who has a fire escape plan?Our escape plan had the three of us agreeing to meet at the jungle jim in the back yard, but I'm worried that if my sone flees from the house at night during winter then he'll be in just as much risk running out into 12" of snow at 20F with only his pyjamas on.I was thinking of changing the meetup to the workshop that is seperate from the the house (about 30' away). It has a heater, we can store spare clothes and blankets there and has it's own phone line for 911. We also have an alarm panel that we can use to summon help. I can also store spare keys for the cars and get into the attached garage from the outside using the keypad and rescue one of the cars (instant shelter and warmth) My wife is concerned that 30' from the house is not far enough and is likely to also catch on fire.Thoughts? If you have a fire escape plan, what do you plan to do if it's a foot deep in snow and you have to get out before you can get dressed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 mine is easy i live 300 ft. from my parents house they know to go over there..id say the work shop would be a good initial place to go untill you can re-evaluate the situation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gen3flygirl Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 My car keys are usually sitting by the door with my spares being in my nightstand next to my bed. If it came down to it I would just go to my vehicle. If you have an "oh shit kit" in your car then you should be fine. I am not sure how far you are from your closest neighbors but maybe have a mutual agreement that if something happened then you would be welcome at each others house. If you do that have a spare key hidden on the out sides of the houses just I case they aren't home and you can still get in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat6183 Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Yeah had one of these when I was a kid, run outside to the 4th tee. We lived on a golf course.If it's a true emergency and you gotta get out, the last thing to worry about is getting dressed to stay warm in the snow etc. Save lives, get cold, warm up and thank God you're all okay. 300ft sounds like it'd be plenty far away unless you have propane, natural gas, or explosives. I'd even consider that safe with ammo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 30', not 300'. That would be like going next door if you lived in a subdivision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Yeah had one of these when I was a kid, run outside to the 4th tee. We lived on a golf course.If it's a true emergency and you gotta get out, the last thing to worry about is getting dressed to stay warm in the snow etc. Save lives, get cold, warm up and thank God you're all okay. 300ft sounds like it'd be plenty far away unless you have propane, natural gas, or explosives. I'd even consider that safe with ammo.30', not 300'.If my 8yo has to run outside into 12" snow at 20F in his pyjamas then he coudl be dead from cold before the fire department finds him - especially if they are focused on the fire at the front of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytriple Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Bug out bag in the playground set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidgetTodd Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 30', not 300'.If my 8yo has to run outside into 12" snow at 20F in his pyjamas then he coudl be dead from cold before the fire department finds him - especially if they are focused on the fire at the front of the house.You would be surprised at the resilience of a child. And when we show up on scene we do not just focus on the fire or one part of the house. A crew will grab an attack line and work suppression but others will do a perimeter search and another crew will do an interior search as well if feasible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 You would be surprised at the resilience of a child. And when we show up on scene we do not just focus on the fire or one part of the house. A crew will grab an attack line and work suppression but others will do a perimeter search and another crew will do an interior search as well if feasible.My local fire department offers lock boxes for the FD to use. I guess you put spare keys in there etc. Are they worth it? I figure I could also put a note in there saying where the meet-up place is as well as a floor plan and how many folks stay in each room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Bug out bag in the playground set?Maybe. Would have to be REALLY waterproof. May throw an air horn in there too so if, god forbid, he's the only one who make it out to the meetup then he can attract attention.I also have to consider that if the power is out we couldn't get the workshop door open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buildit Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 I'm sorry to sound cruel but I would hope at 8 years old after escaping the house and going to the meeting place, if he were for some reason, unable to find either of you there after not so long a time, would head to a neighbors instead of freezing to death in the back yard. Chances are if your actually human, you or your wife will forsake your own safety to make sure he has made it out safe by going to his room. Being he is human he would most likely do the same, going to your room. On another note, why are you meeting in the back yard? Why not meet in the drive way where a first responders will arrive at and be able to offer immediate assistance. And a first responder could be a neighbor or passerby, so don't say he'd freeze to death before help arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 I'm sorry to sound cruel but I would hope at 8 years old after escaping the house and going to the meeting place, if he were for some reason, unable to find either of you there after not so long a time, would head to a neighbors instead of freezing to death in the back yard. Chances are if your actually human, you or your wife will forsake your own safety to make sure he has made it out safe by going to his room. Being he is human he would most likely do the same, going to your room. On another note, why are you meeting in the back yard? Why not meet in the drive way where a first responders will arrive at and be able to offer immediate assistance. And a first responder could be a neighbor or passerby, so don't say he'd freeze to death before help arrives.The neighbors are out of town more often than they are home. He may wind up out there alone if my wife and I are trapped by the fire. He's 8 right now, he's not in a position to rescue me or his mom if we are unable to self-rescue.If we are actually human? WTF is that supposed to mean? His instructions are that when the fire alalrm goes off he gets out of the house and doesn't look back. This instructions were designed for him when he was 5 and we first trusted him to be able to unlock the door and exit the house alone. At 5yo he's not in a position to rescue me or fight a fire. Although he has been trained to use a fire extinguisher and had put out real fires with them as part of his training, his intructions are that he only uses the extinguisher in a fire that is stopping him getting out the house. Every room has a fire extinguisher. As a parent I'd rather him escape than die in a futile attempt to save me. Those instructions are under review now he's getting older.My fire plan involves gathering the family and escaping. Every room has two exits - every windows has been checked to make sure it opens correctly and that we can escape that way.The reson I don't want him in the front yard is that we front a 75mph (actual speed) road and emergency vehicles will be arriving and a 5yo running around between them would be dangerous. Again, those plans are changing to take into account the fact that he is older and more responsible now. There is an emergency cellphone in the workshop as well as the home phone, so we can be in shelter, with a bugout bag stored safely that he can get dressed, call 911 (if we didn't have time before leaving the house) and be safe from the elements.Seriously though - if we were human? Where are you going with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytriple Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Do you live that far apart from your neighbors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Do you live that far apart from your neighbors?Closest neighbors are 300' away, but they're never around. Next neighbor north is 1/4 mile away and south is 1/2 mile away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytriple Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Wanna trade houses? My sub division I have 30 feet on one side, maybe 300 on the other side to the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Wanna trade houses? My sub division I have 30 feet on one side, maybe 300 on the other side to the corner.No thanks. We bought this house for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytriple Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Yeah I missed my chance for my dream house in bfe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buildit Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Seriously though - if we were human? Where are you going with that?If he and you are "human" survival instinct would drive you to head to the 75mph road and wave down any by passer for help if other options are not available. Sorry but the way you make it sound the poor kid lives in a bubble and is made of egg shells. I understand what your saying and yes keep it simple and make it straight forward. But at the same time, in a real emergency people follow emotional logic not rational thought. Real fear will ruin a rational plan. Find a safe spot out front to wait or make the shed with the phone the first place you go to call 911. If everyone doesn't arrive there go to the second spot near the driveway. If you have some inhalation the last thing you want is to be passed out in the back yard.Just trying to emphasize that you need to address all possibilities. A one plan solution only fits one possible problem. Discuss as many possibilities as you can to resolve the best possible answer for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidgetTodd Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 My local fire department offers lock boxes for the FD to use. I guess you put spare keys in there etc. Are they worth it? I figure I could also put a note in there saying where the meet-up place is as well as a floor plan and how many folks stay in each room.Nope, if the house is on fire we're not going to bother with a key. We have our own key that is faster and more fun. The main purpose of those boxes is for elderly with medical alarms so we can get in when they push the button to call us when theyre sick or have fallen and such. They frown upon our key in those situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Nope, if the house is on fire we're not going to bother with a key. We have our own key that is faster and more fun. The main purpose of those boxes is for elderly with medical alarms so we can get in when they push the button to call us when theyre sick or have fallen and such. They frown upon our key in those situations.Fair enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) Discuss as many possibilities as you can to resolve the best possible answer for everyone.This is why I'm here. The plans we had when he was 5 are outdated so we're trying to figure out something new and more age-appropriate. Edited February 20, 2012 by Scruit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conn-e-rot Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 We have one of those chain fire escape ladders by a window upstairs for the kids and furthest neighbor is 200' away. The kids are instructed to leave house and wait in neighbors yard across the street (we live in town so no busy street). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 I tried the rope ladder but all the windows are above gutters (top floor is 2' smaller on the walls with thindows so there is a small roof section below each window.) Using is would damage the gutter, so I didn't want to test it. And no test = no reliance.But that roof is also a good thing - it wraps around the house in a u-shape so anyone can exit the window and walk to around the outside of the top floor. I'm going to put a proper ladder on the roof so it can be used to climb down.Our street is not busy, but it's travelled very fast and not flat. You can count the hourly traffic on one hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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