Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 4-10, and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue wants every household to answer one question: If a fire broke out in your home tonight, could everyone get out in two minutes or less?

That’s not a guess. Two minutes is roughly how long fire safety experts say you have before a house fire becomes too dangerous to escape. Modern furniture burns faster than furniture did decades ago, which means smoke and heat buildup quicker than most people expect.

Here’s how to get your family ready, plus a few tips you might not have heard before.

Build a Real Escape Plan

Walk through every room in your home and find two ways out. For most rooms, that means the door and a window. Ground floor bedrooms should have a window that opens easily and is free of security bars that can’t be released from inside.

For upper floor bedrooms, consider a collapsible escape ladder that hooks to a windowsill. Keep it in the room, not in a closet down the hall.

Pick an outdoor meeting spot a safe distance from the house, such as a mailbox or a neighbor’s driveway. Everyone should go straight there and stay there. No one should go back inside for pets, phones or anything else. Firefighters are trained to search for people and animals. That’s their job once they arrive. Try the “Close Before You Doze” Trick

Here’s a tip most families skip: close your bedroom doors at night. Fire and Rescue crews have tested this, and a closed door can slow the spread of smoke and heat into a room by several minutes.

That extra time can matter if you need to wait for help or find another way out. A closed door also buys firefighters more time to reach you before conditions inside get worse.

Practice Like It’s Real

A fire drill on paper doesn’t prepare your body the way a real drill does. Run the plan at least twice a year, once during the day and once after dark with the lights off. Smoke makes rooms pitch black and hides normal landmarks, so practicing in the dark teaches your family to feel their way along walls instead of relying on sight.

Time the drill. If it takes longer than two minutes, walk through the plan again and figure out where the holdup happened.

Test Your Alarms Now

Smoke alarms should be on every level of the home, inside each bedroom and outside sleeping areas. Test each one this month by pressing the button. Replace batteries at least once a year and replace the whole alarm every 10 years.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue will install free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms for residents who need them. Call 703-246-3801 or email fire.smokealarms@fairfaxcounty.gov to schedule a visit.

Watch Your Chargers

This year’s national fire safety theme focuses on something many homes overlook: lithium-ion batteries. These are the batteries in phones, laptops, e-bikes and power tools, and a damaged or overheated one can start a fire fast.

A few habits lower the risk:

• Charge devices on a hard surface, not a bed, couch or pillow.
• Use the charger that came with the device or one approved by the manufacturer.
• Unplug devices once they’re fully charged.
• Stop using any battery that feels hot, looks swollen or gives off an odd smell.
• Charge e-bikes and scooters outside or near an exit, not blocking a hallway.

Also, as part of Fire Prevention Week, this Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., you can visit any Fairfax Fire and Rescue station for their open house and learn more about fire safety. This year’s theme is “Charge into Fire Safety. Safe Charging Is a Superpower.”