Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one to two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to get out of your home during a fire depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and proactive planning, the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office said.

According to a National Fire Protection Association survey, only one of every three households have developed and practiced a home fire escape plan, with only 8% stating that their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out. The survey also discovered that while 71% of American households have an escape plan in case of a fire, only 47% of those have practiced it.

In 2024, 55 out of the 72 fire fatalities reported in Washington state by fire agencies occurred in areas without confirmed working smoke alarms present. The importance of functioning equipment should not be understated in fire prevention and planning, the fire marshal’s office said.

Here are some tips related to home fire escape safety:

– Make a home escape plan. Draw a map of your home showing all doors and windows and discuss the plan with everyone in your home.

– Install and maintain working smoke alarms in every sleeping area and on every floor of your home.

– Know at least two ways out of every room and make sure that all doors and windows leading to the outside open easily.

– Have an outside meeting place a safe distance from the home where everyone should meet.

– Practice your home fire drill at night and during the day with everyone in your home, twice a year, and practice using two different ways out.

– Teach children how to escape on their own in case no one can help them.

– Close the doors behind you as you leave. A closed door may slow the spread for smoke, heat, and fire.

– If there are family members with mobility limitations, make sure that someone is assigned to assist them in the fire drill and assign a backup person in case that person is not home or unavailable.

For more information, contact the State Fire Marshal’s Office at 360-596-3904.