Our 3-Step Escape Plan

  • First Escape Route
  • Second Escape Route
  • Meeting Place
Notes

Use this space to note any additional information about your escape plan, i.e. who will assist

Your checklist

  • Get low

    Smoke is poisonous and more deadly than flames.

    If you breathe smoke for more than a few breaths it can kill you.

  • Be fast

    A house fire can kill you in less than three minutes.

    Don't spend time trying to save possessions.

  • Close doors

    A closed door buys you time.

    It slows down the spread of fire, giving you more time to get to safety.

  • Get out - stay out!

    People have died by going back into a fire.

    Don't leave the meeting place to go back inside for any reason.

Call emergency services as soon as you are out and safe. Ask for FIRE.

Clearly state your address and let the operator know it anyone is still inside or has not made it to the safe meeting place.

Emergency call 111 Emergency text 111
Fire & Emergency New Zealand

Give the gift of fire safety this Christmas

Give the gift of fire safety this Christmas

19 December 2024

Politics, life plans, the economy - all Christmas lunch conversation starters where the danger needle sits firmly in the extreme segment.

If you’re looking for somewhere to pivot if any of these fraught conversations look set to ignite, Fire and Emergency New Zealand Community Education Manager Tom Ronaldson has the topic for you.

"Adding some fire safety chat to your Christmas lunch conversation list could help you avoid a sticky conversation, and potentially save a life in the process - it’s a win-win," he says.

"The holiday season is a time when people come together and visit their loved ones, particularly the older members of their family, who, on a more serious note, are particularly vulnerable to the risks of fire."

Recently completed analysis from Fire and Emergency showed over the last five years, people over the age of 60 represented 55 percent of fatalities in house fires. In many cases they did not have working smoke alarms.

"This is a massive over-representation of older people in fatal fires and it’s something that must change," Tom Ronaldson says.

"We all need to take ownership of this issue and start having conversations with the older people we know to help prepare them for the risk of fire.

"That can be as simple as asking ‘have you got smoke alarms?’ and then helping them check they are working if they do, or helping install them in every bedroom, hallway and living area if they need assistance."

Other topics to cover include creating a three-step escape plan, never leaving cooking unattended, keeping clothing or furniture at least a metre from the heater (or fireplace), not overloading multiboards and charging devices safely.

Tom Ronaldson says all this information can be found on the Fire and Emergency website.

"If you give the gift of fire safety this Christmas it could be the best gift you ever give - the gift of a life saved."

Back to news hub