Evacuation plan....

[betsy]

Way back when I had a daycare, our drill included the possibility that they might have to act on their own. I had older children then.

We pretended that I got overcome by smoke, or I had an heart attack or I got injured and unconscious.....the older ones (3 years and above) were instructed to grab hold of the toddlers (who can walk) and just go straight out and head for the neighbors. Tell the neighbors that their caregiver is injured (and if there's any baby left in the house with her). I was thinking that they might end up overcome by smoke if they try to lift up the non-walkers....or they might panic and just huddle with everyone. They know which houses are likely to have people during the day.

I stressed out that the sooner they can tell someone, the better chances of the caregiver and anyone left behind to be saved.

My husband works from the house most of the time now, therefore most of the time I'll have some help in case of emergency.

[playfelt]

With the access to 911 in most areas children are often taught to dial in an emergency and even if they don't say anything once the operator comes on they then can trace back to the source.

Another option is a monitored alarm system. If a fire is detected by the system they call for dispatch.

While we all worry about things like fire - remember that most occur while sleeping when we are not aware of what is going on till it is out of control. When cooking in the kitchen know where the children are. Know the windows from the outside of your home so you can say to a fireman - the child is in that room and point to the right window - remember it will be reversed from outside.

Simply being aware of what your options are and how you will adjust according to where the fire is should be part of the plan. For example having a fire extinguisher is for clearing an exit path out of the home not fighting a small fire. Fire safety is an area where we can get ourselves into a frenzy over as we don't deal well with the unexpected.

[betsy]

With the access to 911 in most areas children are often taught to dial in an emergency and even if they don't say anything once the operator comes on they then can trace back to the source.

Ooooh.... Never thought of that one. Thanks.

While we all worry about things like fire - remember that most occur while sleeping when we are not aware of what is going on till it is out of control. When cooking in the kitchen know where the children are. Know the windows from the outside of your home so you can say to a fireman - the child is in that room and point to the right window - remember it will be reversed from outside.

Simply being aware of what your options are and how you will adjust according to where the fire is should be part of the plan. For example having a fire extinguisher is for clearing an exit path out of the home not fighting a small fire. Fire safety is an area where we can get ourselves into a frenzy over as we don't deal well with the unexpected.

Thank you for these tips.