Author of Be Ready for Anything and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
If you missed the previous challenges, you can catch up here:
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Day 5
- Day 6
- Day 7
- Day 8
- Day 9
- Day 10
- Day 11
- Day 12
- Day 13
- Day 14
- Day 15
- Day 16
- Day 17
- Day 18
- Day 19
- Day 20
- Day 21
- Day 22
- Day 23
Today’s Challenge
There’s a very common disaster that a lot of folks don’t think about much. It can happen whether you live in an off-grid cabin in the forest, an apartment in the city, or a townhome in suburbia.
The disaster I’m talking about is house fires.
Between 2011 and 2015, the U.S. fire departments reported an estimated of 358,500 residential home fires every year. In the reported house fire cases, there were about 2,695 deaths, 12,000 injuries and property damage averaging of $7 billion. (source)
Obviously, you’ll want to have a homeowner’s or rental policy to cover the contents of your home, but what about survival?
The most important thing to do in the event of a house fire is to get out of the house. Do you have a way to get out, no matter where you are in the home? How would you escape each room of the house in the event of a fire? Do you need to get any ladders to get out if you’re in a room on the second story of your home? (We have one of these in each upstairs bedroom, just in case.)
Do you have a fire escape plan?
Do you have a plan to help your family escape from any place in the house in the event of a fire? Do you have a room that is more challenging than others? Share your plans here – you may be able to help others figure out their own plans.
If you’re posting in the forum, here’s the thread.
I have a fire extinguisher in every room and hallway of the house. I have one by every outside door. I have several in the basement. I have several in the workshop. I have one in each outbuilding. I have several on the property. I have at least one in each car. I take one with me when I go out in the woods.
In my limited experience in dealing with fire you have a very finite amount of time to get things under control.
I have had people come to my house to get my fire extinguisher because they didn’t have one in their house.
I’ve had a home damaged by fire. I think a lot about not just smoke sectors and fire fighting but also escape.
The kkitchen/ livingroom is just one big room with the front door right in the middle of that east wall. The stove side of the room is behind a tall island with the sink in it. Its beside the tiny laundry room with an outside door.
From the kitchen to the bedroom is s short hall with the forced air furnace and water heater. They are both propane. The other end of the hall is the bedroom/bathroom all open except the toilet stall. That area only has a window in case of a fire. Its another 4′ below the floor to the ground. Were old enough to need something to step out on. So I’ve set an old set of trailer steps there with pretty plants. I can kick them out of the way and get out. I tried it without the plants. Worked ok. Pray I never need it. But we can do.
always prepared for a house fire, 1 time was enough, now always ready to fight or evacuate as needed