Home Fire Drill That Could Save Your Family's Life

How to create and practice a Home Fire Drill plan that could save your family’s life. Sponsored by Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program.

Creating a fire safety plan is a simple but vital task many families overlook. On Home Fire Drill Day, our family joined others across the country to practice a Home Fire Drill, so we would be prepared if an emergency ever occurs.

Do You Have a Fire Escape Plan?

House fires can start and spread faster than most people expect.

Many Americans think they have five or ten minutes to escape a house fire, but in reality families often have less than two minutes to get out safely.

Hearing that made my heart race. How could I get every family member out in time, especially if someone was out running an errand or we were asleep?

After a moment of panic I realized the only way to be confident we could get out safely was to create a family fire safety plan and practice a home fire drill with the kids.

We run drills at work and kids practice at school, but most structure fires happen at home. Because of that, Matt and I agreed we couldn’t postpone this important safety step. With three girls and busy schedules we still made time to do our first family drill the same afternoon.

Before we started, I downloaded the Make Safe Happen app for room-by-room and age-by-age safety tips and a built-in two-minute timer, which proved useful during our drill.

How to Create and Practice a Home Fire Drill

Our family meeting was positive and focused on preparedness rather than frightening “what ifs.” We emphasized that planning and practice keep everyone safer.

Step 1: Know where to go

We chose a clear “safety spot” near the house but a safe distance away. Involving the kids in choosing the spot helped them feel responsible and confident.

We explained that when a smoke alarm sounds, everyone drops what they are doing and heads straight to the safety spot.

Step 2: Check your smoke alarms

We tested the smoke alarms so the kids knew the sound and wouldn’t panic if they ever heard it. We also checked that there was a smoke alarm on every level of the house and in each bedroom.

Step 3: Do the drill

For the drill, the kids went to their bedrooms while one parent started the alarm and the two-minute timer. Everyone practiced getting out quickly, checking doors for heat before opening them, and meeting at the safety spot.

After the first attempts we weren’t under two minutes, so we tried several more times until we improved. We agreed that in a real emergency we would go to the safety spot first, then call 911 together and stay nearby until help arrived.

With the kids’ help I created a simple fire safety plan and posted it on the refrigerator where everyone can see it. We also set a monthly reminder to check smoke alarms and run our family fire drill so this won’t be forgotten.

Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program includes Home Fire Drill games and resources that make practicing faster and more fun for families, helping everyone improve without scaring the children.

Take the Pledge to Make Safe Happen

Ready to make your family safer? Pledge to practice your Home Fire Drill with your family on Home Fire Drill Day and commit to regular checks and drills to help protect the people you love.