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Plan exit routes and escape openings room by room

Every room people sleep or work in needs two ways out. Off grid, fire crews may be far away, so the house layout itself must make escape easy in the dark.

How

1. Draw each floor and mark two exits from every room, as the US Fire Administration advises. Doors and windows that lead outside must open easily.
2. Keep corridors and stairs clear of storage. No shelving, freezers or furniture in the escape route.
3. Check your local code for escape windows in sleeping rooms. Example (US, IRC R310 as summarised by Boise): a net clear opening of at least 5.7 sq ft (5 sq ft at grade), at least 20 in wide and 24 in high, with a sill no higher than 44 in, openable from inside without keys or tools.
4. If a sleeping room is below ground, the US example also requires a window well of at least 9 sq ft with a fixed ladder where it is deeper than 44 in. Check what your country requires.
5. Do not let the safe room, secure store or security bars block an escape route. Any bars on bedroom windows must open from inside without a key.
6. Mark where emergency lights will go along each route (see rooms-24).

Safety: Never block an escape route with storage or locked bars.

Do these first

• safety-22

Sources

1. Focus on Fire Safety: Fire Escape Plans (January 2012, archived). US Fire Administration (FEMA), via UNT web archive, accessed 2026-11
2. Egress windows code handout (IRC R310 summary). City of Boise Planning and Development Services (US), accessed 2026-11

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