Experiencing a fire or being alerted by a building fire alarm can be scary. By having an evacuation plan and preparing, you can better respond to a building fire alarm or fire.

If you encounter smoke or fire, or if you hear the building's fire alarm going off, quickly take these steps to ensure a safe evacuation of the building:

• Leave your unit as quickly as possible, closing the front door as you go.
  If you have observed smoke or fire, pull the fire alarm next to the stairwell.
• Use the stairs, not the elevators, to evacuate the building. Do not congregate in the lobby.
• Once outside, move away from the building to the designated meeting place.
• Once you have left the building, do not go back into the building for any reason until the fire department has given permission to reenter.

If you encounter smoke or fire outside of your apartment and you are unable to exit using the stairs, stay in your unit:

• Keep the door to the room closed. A closed door is a barrier to smoke.
• Use towels or clothing to block openings around doors or vents where smoke might enter.
• Place a signal in the window. The signal can be anything that will call attention to your location.
• If smoke or fire enters your unit, call 911 to report your location. Stay low to the floor to breathe the best air. Put a wet cloth over your mouth or nose.
• Keep windows and balcony sliders closed. Smoke from the outside of the building can enter through open windows. 
• Do not wait on a balcony or in a bathroom.

Watch and share these fire evacuation videos:

English Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/m0ZEa8C1SpI  

American Sign Language Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/FN0sxjd3ZtM  

Amharic Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/sqktxT7cg6E  

Arabic Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/ZnfpTnd-U0U  

Chinese Simplified – Mandarin Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/4NQ-DEAXct4  

Chinese Traditional – Cantonese Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/izfK6xjCOEk  

Khmer Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/roouLNJiejo  

Korean Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings:  https://youtu.be/B0_x8v8qje4  

Oromo Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/3Pgoy7qBfCE   

Russian Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/_pXIrr9ggUY  

Somali Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/YXHrCnfO16g  

Spanish Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/dcxE948zHuI   

Thai Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/rQI6SGuPSOY  

Tigrinya Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/Zv1l2wUM6Og 

Ukrainian Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/LAAmPz2yr3s   

Vietnamese Fire Evacuation for Apartment Buildings: https://youtu.be/2FxEAc4INho