Imagine you are awakened in the night by the smoke alarm. Would you and your family know what to do? In a fire, you may have as little as two minutes to escape so it's important to get out fast and have a good escape plan. Let's see how fast you can get and get to the meeting place!

Once the timer starts you have 2 minutes to get to the meeting place. Use your mouse to discover a way out of the room.

The first step to escaping a fire is to plan ahead. During a fire, every second counts and working smoke alarms and escape plans help you get out of your house quickly. Smoke alarms are tools that can detect smoke in the air - even when you can't smell it. One of the most important jobs a smoke alarm has is to protect you and warn you of a fire while you sleep in time to escape safely.

When smoke is near, the smoke alarm makes a very loud beeping noise. Be sure you know the sound of your smoke alarm and how to react when you hear it. Whether you are at home or at school, it is vital to have an escape plan and know two ways out of every room. During a fire, one of your potential exit routes may be blocked. Knowing two ways out could save your life!

Let's see how fast you can get out and get to the meeting place!
Use the mouse to search for the safest exit.

Never open doors that are hot to the touch. Use the back of your hand to feel the door, the doorknob and the crack between the door and the doorframe. A hot door means there might be fire on the other side. If the door feels hot, use your secondary escape route. Even if the door feels cool, open it carefully! The best escape plans have two ways to get out of each room. If the primary exit is blocked by fire or smoke, you will need a second way out. Always take the escape route that is safest, and if you must escape through smoke, remember to crawl low under the smoke.

Never hide - get outside!

You can't hide from fire, but you can escape!

NEVER hide in a closet or under the bed. Firefighters will not be able to find you.

If you live in a multi-story house and you must escape from an upper story window, be sure there is a safe way to reach the ground such as an escape ladder or an adjacent roof. During practice fire drills with grown-ups, make sure you know how to open windows that may be part of your escape plan. If you live in an apartment building, use stairways to escape. NEVER use an elevator during a fire. Make special arrangements for children, older adults and people with disabilities. Family members that have difficulty moving should when possible, sleep on the ground floor. Practice setting up a ladder from the first floor window with a grown-up to make sure you can do it correctly and quickly.

Remember to escape first, then call 911 using a cell phone or a neighbor's phone. Never go back inside a burning building for anything. Your family's meeting place should be easy to remember (a mailbox, a big tree) but not something that can be moved like a car. Once out, take attendance so you can tell firefighters if anyone is missing.

Carlos, Jr. did all the right things - did you?

His family had working smoke alarms, an escape plan and a pre-determined meeting place and they had practice the plan with a home fire drill. Carlos, Jr. knew what to do when the smoke alarm sounded and where to go because his family had practiced.

Knowing what to do saved his life.

Remember: Every home is different and no escape plan is complete without practicing it with a home fire drill.

Good escape plans help you get out of your home quickly in case of a fire. The best plans have two ways out of each room. If one way is blocked by smoke or fire, you can use the second escape route. Be sure to plan and practice with a grown-up and include all family members in the planning process. If you have family members who may need assistance during an emergency escape, be sure to assign a helper. Help your family make an escape plan and check your smoke alarms today!