"A baby or toddler under age five dies nearly every day in a residential fire," said Homeland Security Under Secretary Michael D. Brown.  "These young children have disproportionately higher risk of fire death than the rest of the population.  They depend on their parents and caregivers to keep them safe, to prevent residential fires from starting, and to increase the chances that the entire family can escape a fire quickly and safely."

From 1989 through 1998, U.S. children younger than age five were twice as likely as the rest of the population to die in a residential fire; in that decade 5,830 children died in fires in this country, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, part of FEMA and the initiator of the campaign.

"No child, not a single one, should suffer such as awful death, a death that can be prevented by parents who take the necessary precautions," said Fire Administrator R. David Paulison.  "Every parent and every caregiver with young children depending on them must take a few simple but important steps to prevent this tragedy.  Even toddlers can be taught how to quickly respond in case of fire and adults need to know how they will escape with infants."

Home Fire Escape Plan
Consider that it takes just a few minutes, sometimes only seconds, for a fire to spread out of control.  Then consider the difference that a well-rehearsed fire escape plan can make.  Children as young as 3 years old can follow a fire escape plan that they have practiced often, and it can mean the difference between life and death.

What you can do:

•   Draw a basic diagram of you home, marking all windows
    and doors, and plan two routes out of each room.
•   Consider various fire scenarios, from easiest to most
    difficult. Imagine a fire starting and spreading from your
    kitchen, from the basement, and from the hallway outside
    your bedroom. Develop your escape plan with options for
    a safe escape in each scenario.
•   If you are escaping smoke, crawl low under the smoke.
    Touch doors to see if they are hot before opening. If so,
    use the alternative escape route.
•   Designate a safe meeting point outdoors and teach your
    children never to go back inside the house.
•   Practice your fire escape plans regularly; at least twice a
    year, more often is better. Include a strategy for times
    when one parent is out of the home.
•   When practicing the fire escape plan, show children
     how to cover their nose and mouth to reduce smoke
     inhalation.
•   Keep exits clear of debris or toys.
•   Teach toddlers not to hide from firefighters. Uniforms
    and breathing masks can be scary in times of crisis.
    Teach children that firefighter are there to help in an
    emergency.

For more information visit www.usfaparents.gov