premise: What to do in a fire? Fire drills are a big part of being safe in school: They prepare you for what you need to do in case of a fire. But what if there was a fire where you live? Would you know what to do? Talking about fires can be scary because no one likes to think about people getting hurt or their things getting burned. But you can feel less worried if you are prepared. Its a good idea for families to talk about what they would do to escape a fire. Different families will have different strategies. Some kids live in one-story houses and other kids live in tall buildings. Youll want to talk about escape plans and escape routes, so lets start there. Know Your Way Out An escape plan can help every member of a family get out of a burning house. The idea is to get outside quickly and safely. Smoke from a fire can make it hard to see where things are, so its important to learn and remember the different ways out of your home. How many exits are there? How do you get to them from your room? Its a good idea to have your family draw a map of the escape plan. Its possible one way out could be blocked by fire or smoke, so youll want to know where other ones are. And if you live in an apartment building, youll want to know the best way to the stairwell or other emergency exits. Safety Steps If youre in a room with the door closed when the fire breaks out, you need to take a few extra steps: Check to see if theres heat or smoke coming in the cracks around the door. (Youre checking to see if theres fire on the other side. ) If you see smoke coming under the door dont open the door! If you dont see smoke touch the door. If the door is hot or very warm dont open the door! If you dont see smoke and the door is not hot then use your fingers to lightly touch the doorknob. If the doorknob is hot or very warm dont open the door! If the doorknob feels cool, and you cant see any smoke around the door, you can open the door very carefully and slowly. When you open the door, if you feel a burst of heat or smoke pours into the room, quickly shut the door and make sure it is really closed. If theres no smoke or heat when you open the door, go toward your escape route exit.
hypothesis: If youre stuck in a room, and see smoke coming into your room, you should open the door and ran to the exit.