United States

Fire safety

Reviewed 2026-07-26

Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them. Disclaimer

Do this first

Alert everyone and get out. Call only once you are outside and safe.

Smoke kills long before flames do. The breathable air in a burning room can last less than two minutes. Anything you might go back for can be replaced, so leave.

Step by step

Shout to raise the alarm and press the fire alarm call point if there is one.
Get everyone out along the marked escape route, and help anyone who needs it.
Stay low. The clearer, cooler air is near the floor.
Close doors behind you. A closed door buys many minutes.
Use the stairs, never the elevator.
Call 911 from outside. Give the address, what is burning, and whether anyone is still inside.
Go to the assembly point and stay there, so that nobody is reported missing.

Never do this

Do not go back inside for belongings, a phone or a pet.
Do not put water on burning oil or on live electrical equipment.
Do not open a door that feels hot to the back of your hand. Find another way out and signal from a window.

Call emergency services if

Any fire that you did not put out within seconds with an extinguisher.
Smoke inside a wall, a ceiling or an electrical panel.
Anyone who has breathed smoke, even if they feel fine.

Common questions

Should I fight the fire?

Only if it is small, your escape route is clear behind you and you know how to use the extinguisher. If the first attempt does not put it out, leave.

What about a pan fire in the kitchen?

Turn off the heat if you can reach it safely, cover the pan with a lid or fire blanket and leave it covered. Never carry it outside and never use water.