What to Know
- Philadelphia is holding a citywide fire drill.
- Sirens will ring out throughout the city at 7:30 p.m.
- People are encouraged to participate by walking through their fire escape plan.
Multiple sirens are set to pierce the streets of Philadelphia as part of a citywide drill that aims to help residents know how to respond to a fire.
The drill will begin at 6 p.m. as the Philadelphia Fire Department responds to a simulated fire at a home on the 5600 block of Carpenter Street. At 7:30 p.m., fire engines throughout the city will sound their sirens to indicate the start of the citywide drill encouraging residents to walk through their own home escape plan.
"Tonight's drill will give people a little bit of mental preparation should a disaster strike," said Thomas Kane, a battalion chief with the Philadelphia Fire Department's fire prevention division.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, the number of home fires has been decreasing steadily over the past few decades, but the chances of dying in one such fire actually increased by 10 percent between 1980 and 2016, partly due to the way new homes are built.
A good escape plan, however, can save lives. According to Kane, this is what your plan should look like:
1. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and make sure to test them often ("The benefits outweigh every possible risk," Kane said).
2. Identify two ways you can exit each room (this is usually a door or a window).
3. Make sure neither the door nor the window are blocked so that you can go through them in case of an emergency.
4. Have a planned meeting spot for you and your family outside your home.
5. If a fire does break out and you're trapped inside, close your door; a closed door can prevent the fire from spreading into your room.
6. Don't hide; firefighters want to be able to easily find you in case of an emergency.
7. Go to a window to let people know where you are.
8. Stay low to the ground. Both heat and smoke rise, which means you'll be cooler, have more visibility and breathe in less smoke the lower you are to the ground.
9. If possible, tuck a towel, sweater or other cloth under the crack in your door to prevent smoke from coming into your room.
One big thing people should not do if they can prevent it, however, is hide in a bathtub. "All that does is make you soggy," Kane said, adding that firefighters prefer that you go to a place where they can easily get to you.
Philadelphia residents can also request a free, 10-year lithium battery smoke alarm for their home by dialing 311. The department also has adaptive detectors for the hearing-impaired.
