When was the last time you practiced a fire drill in your home?

If you are like most people, your answer might be "never."

Although residential fires are a commonplace scene on the evening
news, most people don't make a habit of performing regular fire
drills.

Making sure you and your loved ones know exactly what to do in
this type of emergency is of the utmost importance. Take a look at these tips to help build
an emergency evacuation plan:

*Plan Evacuation Routes-Before you get started with a fire drill,
it's best to sit down and plan a series of evacuation routes. You
might want to mark routes Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C and discuss
which plans would be used under different circumstances.

*Practice the Evacuation Routes-Waiting until a fire occurs is
too late! Instead, set aside time each month to practice your
emergency drill and evacuation plan.

*Consider Special Needs-Make sure that your fire evacuation plan
includes anyone in the home that has special needs. This might be
an infant or an elderly person that cannot physically walk out of
the house. It might also include pets. Whatever the case, be sure
you have a plan in place designating who will be responsible for
assisting those with special needs to get safely out of the
house.

*Check Smoke Alarms-Smoke alarms should be checked twice a year.
It's vital that the smoke alarms in your home be in good
operating condition. Make sure that everyone in your home is
aware of what the smoke alarm sounds like and use the smoke
alarms when practicing your fire drill.

Source: Terry Campbell, Campbell Insurance Agency