Safety Tips & Articles
BELOW IS A TIMELINE (IN MINUTES & SECONDS) OF A FIRE IN A 2-STORY HOME THAT BEGINS IN A LIVING ROOM ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
:30 Fire ignites and grows rapidly
1:04 From the first flame, fire spreads and smoke begins to fill the room
1:35 Smoke layer descends rapidly; temperature exceeds 190oF
1:50 Smoke detector at foot of stairs sounds; Still time to get out
2:30 Temperature above couch over 400oF
2:48 Smoke pours into other rooms
3:03 Temperature 3ft. above floor in room of fire origin is over 500oF (Nobody could survive)
3:20 Upstairs hall filled with smoke; Escape more difficult
3:41 FLASHOVER: Energy in room of fire origin ignites everything. Temperature is 1400oF
3:50 Two minutes after smoke detector sounds, alternate exit is the only way out
4:33 Flames just now visible from exterior of house; First evidence of fire from outside
(At this point, rescue might not be possible)
42% of people believe a living room fire could produce life-threatening conditions in a bedroom in 2 minutes or less (This is realistic)
58% believe it would take longer than 2 minutes for conditions to become deadly in upstairs bedroom
24% believe they will have 10 minutes or more before life-threatening conditions develop; this is very unrealistic and suggests a potentially deadly lack of urgency.
(Source: 1997 NFPA Escape Survey)
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SEVERAL SMOKE DETECTORS IN YOUR HOME AND CHECK THE BATTERIES AND THE UNIT OFTEN. ALSO, DEVELOP AND PRACTICE AN ESCAPE PLAN FOR YOUR FAMILY IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE;
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!