You suddenly wake up to the deafening sound of your smoke alarms. You smell something burning. You think "my house is on fire". The only thing to do is get out. Fast!

What follows are suggestions. Since each fire is different, take our suggestions, and decide which may be beneficial to you.

A number of things have come together, you might call it a "perfect storm", that has decreased the chance of surviving a fire:
.. Newer homes tend to have larger open spaces which makes more air (and oxygen) available for a fire. More oxygen makes for bigger fires.
.. lightweight construction techniques using engineered wood construction assemblies produce houses that are stronger and cheaper to build, but when lightweight construction meets fire it burns quicker and fails faster than their dimensional lumber counterparts.
.. Newer homes often contain modern furnishings made of mainly synthetic materials that, under fire, can create a highly toxic environment, greater fuel load, and faster fire propagation.
.. People live longer. The number of elderly choosing to live at home is increasing, and the very young and the elderly comprise the largest segment of home fire fatalities.
.. Newer homes are rarely one story (the traditional "ranch"). This means that occupants must go up, or down stairs to quicky leave the burning structure. This adds another degree of difficuly to the elderly, the largest category of fatalities.

The result is a drastic reduction in how much time you have get out of a burning building.

Your chances of surviving a fire in your home increases when all three of the following are present:
1) Smoke Alarms - Smoke alarms save lives. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out. Whether the home has home fire sprinklers, or not, the single most important thing remains smoke alarms. A sobering statistic - 3 of every 5 home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms (38%) or no working smoke alarms (21%). (Source: NFPA 2009-2013 survey) READ MORE

2) Family Escape Plan - Getting out of a burning home requires planning. The family should develope, and practice, their escape plan. READ MORE

3) Home Fire Sprinklers - Because fire sprinklers react so quickly, they can dramatically reduce the heat, flames, and smoke produced in a fire. Properly installed and maintained fire sprinklers help save lives. Fire sprinklers have been around for more than a century, protecting commercial and industrial properties and public buildings. What many people don't realize is that the same life-saving technology is also available for homes, where roughly 85% of all civilian fire deaths occur. READ MORE

This is a work in progress. We welcome your suggestions for websites that deal with smoke alarms, family escape plans and home fire sprinklers, and please spread the word. 

Ira Hoffman, owner FSP Books and Videos. My email: ira@Fire-Police-EMS.com