Get out to be safe Developing a family escape plan Article provided by Premier Martial Arts Teaching children how to focus, show respect, get and set goals is very important; of equal importance is teaching well-rounded safety skills that will serve and protect their entire lives. The great part is the more you teach life skills the easier it becomes to teach safety skills and vice versa. Today we will focus on mapping out a family escape plan. Evaluate First when constructing a family escape plan, evaluate each member of your families ability to safely exit the house in a time efficient manner. A young child, an aging parent or anyone else with difficulties must be taken into account. Decide who is best suited among the family to help assist them to escape. Placing a small postcard sized note with the word 'emergency' on the chosen helper door and the family member name (or better yet picture) of who will need assistance will help keep their duty top of mind. In an emergency situation despite the combination adrenalin, lack of sleep and possibly smoke this top of mind awareness may help them quickly and clearly remember who they need to help get out. Know Where To Go Each member of the family must know two ways to exit each room in the house; one primary escape route and one alternate. This is if in case of a fire or a home intruder where one route becomes blocked and is unsafe.