User's Manual

ClareOne 69
If windows or doors in your home have security bars, make sure that the bars
have emergency release devices inside so that they can be opened immediately
in an emergency. Emergency release devices won't compromise your security -
but they will increase your chances of safely escaping a home fire.
• Tell guests or visitors to your home about your family's fire escape plan.
When staying overnight at other people's homes, ask about their escape
plan. If they don't have a plan in place, offer to help them make one. This
is especially important when children are permitted to attend "sleepovers"
at friends' homes. See NFPA's "Sleepover fire safety for kids" fact sheet.
• Be fully prepared for a real fire: when a smoke alarm sounds, get out
immediately. Residents of high-rise and apartment buildings may be safer
"defending in place."
• Once you're out, stay out! Under no circumstances should you ever go
back into a burning building. If someone is missing, inform the fire
department dispatcher when you call. Firefighters have the skills and
equipment to perform rescues.
Put your plan to the test
• Practice your home fire escape plan twice a year, making the drill as
realistic as possible.
• Make arrangements in your plan for anyone in your home who has a
disability.
• Allow children to master fire escape planning and practice before holding
a fire drill at night when they are sleeping. The objective is to practice, not
to frighten, so telling children there will be a drill before they go to bed can
be as effective as a surprise drill.
• It's important to determine during the drill whether children and others can
readily waken to the sound of the smoke alarm. If they fail to awaken,
make sure that someone is assigned to wake them up as part of the drill
and in a real emergency situation.
• If your home has two floors, every family member (including children) must
be able to escape from the second floor rooms. Escape ladders can be
placed in or near windows to provide an additional escape route. Review
the manufacturer's instructions carefully so you'll be able to use a safety
ladder in an emergency. Practice setting up the ladder from a first floor
window to make sure you can do it correctly and quickly. Children should
only practice with a grown-up, and only from a first-story window. Store
the ladder near the window, in an easily accessible location. You don't
want to have to search for it during a fire.