More specifically, could you get everyone out of the house, blindfolded, in under a minute?

[Nimbostratus100]

Following on from the emergency thread... (yes I have let the police in without the washing up being done in the past - no - no one cared...)

If your house was filled with smoke, and you couldn't see or breathe in - could you get out?

This mostly means, can you put your hand on the door or window key right now, with your eyes closed, and does everyone know where to meet up?

( lives have been lost when everyone is safely out, but someone is missing and a relative returns to a burning building to look for them, not knowing they were already safe)

I think this is important - if you have to get out of the house blind, before you next breathe in - do you have an emergency key in a fixed place you can put your hand straight on now without thinking?

Awful advice. You wouldn't have time to turn around and pull them out, which is also quite difficult in many cars. Having a safety device that includes seat belt cutter and window hammer easily to hand is MUCH better and gives you a chance of surviving.

In fact, your advice is terrible.

The Adventures with Purpose team did a test where they had to escape from a sinking car on YouTube if you need proof.

In our old house I had two sets of bifolds and a new front door. All three were installed requiring a separate key. I used to have nightmares about getting out if there was a fire so I rang the company and got them to send me three new locks. All were thumb locks and all three used the same key. I slept soundly after doing that. This new house has key hanging by front door and bifolds with thumb locks.

What's wrong with leaving the key in the door?

I agree with everything you have said.

I've been in two major fires and smoke blindness is nothing like being blindfolded, it's beyond disorientating and like trying to drive a car with your eyes closed in severe fog, nothing is where it's supposed to be. Reminds me of Tyson's quote that 'everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth'.

When I did my last proper fire training we were made to complete a set of very basic tasks then do the same with smoke goggles (opaque). Every one of us was shocked how impossible it was, including those who had survived fires before.

The only priority in a fire is to get the fuck out and leave everything behind pronto. Otherwise you won't save anything because you will not survive.

My new composite front door has a knob to lock it from the inside so no key needed. The fitter said that is standard these days.

Yes. I never switch the lights on in the night, used to moving around in the pitch black.

In the night, our cats tend to alert us to anything they consider an emergency. From "there's someone at the door" to "I'm hungry". So I expect they'd wake us. No locks on the upstairs windows, so my preferred exit route is hang and drop from the bedroom, or v carefully over the conservatory.

Alternatively, the front door key is always in the lock, or a spare set immediately next to the door.

Yes though maybe not pets. Our door doesn't need a key and windows are unlocked.

I replaced my front and back door locks with the ones that are key on the outside, but a turny latch thing on the inside so yes, we could get out blindfolded.

Fire safety officer told me that animals are very good at getting themselves out. I hope this is true.

Are you my husband?

As much as I love and care for my animals, I wouldn’t be faffing around with leads or thinking of getting them out, it’s my children and myself I would be concentrating on.

In no circumstances should you need to find, put in, or turn a key to get out in the event of fire.

What do you mean "or turn a key"? Surely turning a key is no different to turning one of those thumb turn locks, provided the key is left in the door?

My house insurance is invalidated if the keys are left in the door.

Do not have your car key easy to find like that! It’s the first thing a thief will take!

@WeWereInParis to start with they are much less fumbleable. More reliable - won’t fall out / fail to work if you are all fingers and thumbs as you are likely to be in a smoke-filled emergency egress, and, vitally they will never be missing on that one night there’s a fire. They are fail safe, designed for exactly this kind of scenario.

Do not make your car keys hard to find.

If someone breaks into your house, the absolute best outcome is them taking the easy, valuable item and getting the fuck out of there.

Do you seriously think it's a good idea to encourage thieves to root around, potentially get disturbed, and forced into conflict?

We wouldn’t be able to get out of the bedroom windows, the drop is too far. But doors open without a key.
however, we have sprinklers fitted, one in each of the bedrooms, on each landing, the entrance area, two in the kitchen and two in the living room, so I hope that this would give us time to get out.
Only other way would be up onto the roof terrace, and over to the neighbours

We have 2 front doors, the one we use most of the time doesn't need a key to get out but we'd need to go through the kitchen to get to that and that's the most likely place a fire will start. We can't get out of the other front door without a key (which is in the kitchen) but 3 other downstairs rooms have large windows that we could step out of.

It's also worth having a plan B in case your usual exit route is blocked. If we can't get down the stairs then we'd climb out of DS's bedroom window as that has a flat roof underneath it which would help break a fall.

Yes and I have drilled the kids on which routes to take in event of a fire and which windows are safest to climb out.

I’d never leave keys in front door locks though, too easy for a burglar to break in.

I have my car keys visible.

I’ve also been broken into and had my car stolen before along with a few other people in my area on the same night. The police officer I spoke to said I was lucky my keys were by the front door as the other people had been woken and “askesd” for keys.

I couldn’t think of anything more terrifying, they can have my bloody car, I’m insured, just leave me alone!

*Asked

@ComeTheFckOnBridget driving round with a hammer under your seat is much worse advice

@SproutingAbout I saw an ad or a Facebook video about emergency ladders you can buy that you leave beside your window. I once lived in the attic of an old Georgian house converted into flats. I was in a tiny flat on the top floor with my bedroom another internal flight up right into the eaves of the house. It freaked me out, I would never had made it to the bottom of the house in a fire. I didn't have one of those ladders, I didn't know they existed.

Agree - cars are easy to replace.

Some advice we were given by the fire brigade when DD was a baby.... if you need to jump out of an upstairs window with a baby, rip open a duvet cover, put baby inside and dangle / drop the duvet down to someone on the ground. Even if you were a single parent, dropping them to the ground in a duvet cover will reduce their fall by 5-6ft.

You can get a ‘rescue me’ it’s a small spike that shatters the glass in car windows. My friend used it and said was amazing. She just touched it against the window and it just shattered.