Always think of fire appliances when parking. Many countries have laws making some of the things listed below a criminal offense, yet people still do not consider that fire engines are big & need extra room to get through & may need access to a fire hydrant. Think first as the time they waste getting to a fire & a source of water could cost lives, what if that was you or your family who were trapped? In many countries the fire service will remove your vehicle by force, this may damage it I will delay their rescue of anyone trapped in a fire

Bonfires & fires can get out of control if you are not careful

If the pan does catch fire never try to move it. If you can turn off the heat, but only if it is safe to do so, it might be easier to turn the gas/electric off at the mains. If it is safe to do so get a cloth/tea towel, run it under the cold water, wring it out & place it over the pan by holding the top, covering the front first & lowering the cloth towards the back of the pan, only do this if safe to do so, if in doubt get out. Leave the pan for at least half an hour, don't be tempted to look until the half hour is up. If it isn't safe to turn the heat off & cover with a cloth get out & close the door, if possible close all other doors as you leave the house. Then call the Fire Brigade/Department. Never re-enter the house until told it is safe to do so

First & most important thing in any suspected fire is if in doubt get out & stay out. Most things can be replaced after a fire, you & your family cannot

Do you have a plan if a fire breaks out in your home? Have you thought of how you & your family would get out in the event of a fire? Well now is the time to think about it. Hopefully you will never need to use it, but thinking about it now could save you & your family. Make sure you can get out. How would you do it, would you need to use a window, could you get to a door? Of course it depends on when the fire happened & where in the home it happened. Think about your home, how it is designed, where the doors & windows are, if a fire broke out in different places in the home. If you prepare now you can use this plan if it is ever needed. Can you use that window, what is beneath it. What if you can't use the stairs, what if you cannot get to that front door? Thinking about all this will help you come up with a simply plan that could help you if a fire does happen. Have a rehearsal, make it a game for the children, with a reward for them at the end. We all know our homes, but it is hard to think calmly in such a situation

What happens if you cannot get out? We hope this never happens but sadly sometimes it does. If you have access to a phone make sure you call the Fire Brigade/Department. Gather the family in one room, close the door. If possible have someone call them while someone else gets all the family in one room. Make sure the person calling them tells them where you are in the home, how many there are in the room, if anyone is disabled, elderly, sick, etc. Put blankets, clothing, or sheets, etc at the bottom of the door, if you can dampen them to help keep the smoke out. If you have a burglar alarm & can safely activate it do so as this will alert your neighbours. Go to a window, open it or smash it, if you have to smash it try to get all the jaggered glass out, & shout for help. You can aslo breath in fresh air too. If the smoke begins to build use the use the window or get down on the floor, with your noses pressed on the floor as the air is fresher down there

If it is a room on a lower floor you may need to use the wondow to escape, this is where shouting for help from the window may help you. Someone might be able to get a ladder to get you all out. If not then throw mattresses, pillows, cushions, etc out below the window. If there is someone below get them to help you, if not & there are two adults one should go first. Never Just jump unless it is unavoidable, try to wait for the Fire Brigade/Department to arrive, they are on their way, in a situation like this seconds seem like minutes & minutes like hours. If you feel the fire is about to threaten you & your family's life then you many need to get out. Cover the broken window with a blanket or something that will cover the glass that may still be there. Get onto the window & slowly lower yourself down, holding onto the window with your hands. This means you are closer to the ground & it helps you & anyone below to try to break your fall. Let yourself go, I know from personal experience how scary this is. The items you throw out will help to break your fall. Whoever is left can help to hold you on until you drop. Do the same with each person who is left. If this is smaller children you may need to drop them out. If the people below can get a blanket & stretch it out to catch the child this will help. if this is not possible someone below can position themselves to catch the child. Please, please, try to never just throw anyone out of a window, make sure the people below are ready for it, maybe count down from 3 to 1 or zero. This is the main reason you need to have an escape plan in place & where having rehearsals will help you & your family.

Try not to panic as this will not help, I do know how hard it is not to panic

Try not to just jump out or throw anyone out of a window if you can avoid it. I know how scary a fire can be, I have been trapped in a fire & felt I would not make it, but thankfully I did & hopefully so can you & your family. It is better if you can wait for the Fire Brigade/Department to arrive & I hope you can

Do you have smoke detector/s installed in your home?

No, why not? Smoke detectors are inexpensive & save lives. If you live in the UK you can have your local Fire Brigade install them free of charge, many Fire Departments in other countries will also install them for free too. Contact your local Fire Brigade/Department to arrange someone to install them for you. Around 80% of homes in the UK have them, there is no excuse for 100% of homes not to have them. A smoke alarm will give you valuable extra minutes which could save your life

You do have smoke alarms? When did you last check them? When did you last clean them? When did you last change the battery? There is no point having smoke detectors if they do not work. Fire fighters are called to numerous fires in homes which have detectors which did not activate because they were not functioning properly. Over 5,000 accidental fires in the home in 2002 in England & Wales were fitted with smoke detectors that failed when needed the most. A few simple steps will make sure that in the unlikely event you need it, it will work, & save you & your family: