When you live in blocks of flats you have to have a lot of trust. Trust that neighbours next door won’t fall asleep with a lit cigarette. Trust that the neighbour below doesn’t leave a candle near a curtain. Trust that the neighbour above doesn’t come in drunk and pop on a pan of chips. And trust that the angry person at the top doesn’t commit arson.<\/p>\n
But even with all that trust, it is essential to have an emergency evacuation plan. When something major goes wrong in a block of flats, there isn’t time to grab anything – Our St Judes Almost Gas Pipe Explosion Incident<\/a>\u00a0there is only time to take yourself and any children and leave straight away.<\/p>\n It’s essential to not only have an evacuation plan, but a plan that is workable should fire and smoke reduce visibility to nothing.<\/p>\n Being based above ground floor means relying on clear stairways free from clutter and rubbish. Should this exit not be clear, our next plan would be to retreat to a room with our fire ladder. This is a piece of equipment for dire emergencies which will hook over the window sill and drop down to the ground. Of course, we don’t happen have a window sill, but it will sit on the window frame safely enough for an adult to steady it whilst children escape.<\/p>\n We also have a gas evacuation plan. That consists of a small bag by our front door containing a key for the service hatch, spare front door key, slippers, emergency blankets and tenancy paperwork. Of course, it has the emergency gas number Sharpied on: 0800 111 999.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n