RICHMOND, Va. -- After three house fires in Richmond within an hour Thursday, would you know what to do if a fire breaks out in your home?
CBS 6 News followed the Holbert family as they went through their first fire drill in their home Friday.
"This is not something we've done at all with our children,” Michael Holbert said.
Michael and Paige Holbert
CBS 6 News set up cameras in their bedrooms as the family worked to get out of the house in two minutes to stay alive.
Cameras captured the couple running from room to room grabbing their children as they fled down the stairs and out the front door.
Less than a minute from when the smoke alarm sounded, the family had made it out safely.
"You got out of the house 50.1 seconds,” Red Cross Spokesperson Jonathan McNamara explained.
That’s the good news. But Jon McNamara also pointed out what the family what they did wrong.
"You stood up. But in the event of a fire, there are going to be gases and smoke filling your home,” McNamara said. He said the family should have got as as low to the floor as possible.
"Second thing I noticed you did not touch the door to make sure it was hot,"McNamara said. "And that can put you in a dangerous situation."
McNamara suggested having a safe meeting place outside. And he says you should have fire extinguishers on every level of your home as well as a fire escape ladder.
"The cost of these items can add up, so that’s why we say to families buying these items over time can make that cost easier to manage,” McNamara said.
The family takes part in a fire drill.
And for the Holbert family that means a lot. They said the experience was a real wake up call.
"You're first thought is just to get you kids. And you're not thinking what the dangers may be or what mistakes we may have made,” Michael Holbert said.
"We're going to come up with a fire safety plan for our family. And perhaps get some ladders to get off the second floor,” Paige Holbert said.
Experts said only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. And they say in some cases, families have tragically left their kids behind in the midst of the chaos.
