Alternative Escape Routes: How to Plan a Second Way Out Before You Need It

Most escape plans are one line long. Out the front door, down the driveway, turn right at the main road. That works right up until the thing you are escaping is in the front hall, or sitting across the main road in 14 inches of water.

That is the whole case for alternative escape routes. Not paranoia, just arithmetic. A single route has a single point of failure, and the failure is rarely dramatic. A tree down, a barricade, a hallway you cannot walk through.

This problem has already been solved twice, at two scales, by people who publish their answers free. The fire service answer is two ways out of every room and a 2 minute window. The emergency management answer is several destinations in different directions.

What is an alternative escape route?

An alternative escape route is a second, pre-chosen way out that you have confirmed works before you need it. It exists at two scales, and both of them have a published two-ways-out rule.

Inside the house. The American Red Cross says a home fire escape plan should provide "at least two ways to escape from every room of your home." Every room, not every floor. For most bedrooms that second way out is the window.

Out of the area. Ready.gov tells households to "Become familiar with alternate routes and other means of transportation out of your area," to choose several destinations in different directions, and to use only the recommended evacuation routes, because shortcuts may be blocked.

That last clause is worth re-reading. The shortcut you are proud of is not an alternative route, it is an unverified one. So the test for any plan you already have is simple. Count the ways out. If the answer is one, you have a route, not a plan.

How much time do you really have to get out of a burning home?

As little as 2 minutes. That is the Red Cross figure, and it is the number that sets the pace for everything else in this article: "people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it's too late to get out."

Two minutes is not enough time to think. Which is why the Red Cross guidance is not just to have a plan, but to rehearse it:

• At least 2 ways out of every room. Door and window, most often.

• Practice the plan at least twice a year. Twice. On the calendar, like a smoke alarm battery.

• Practice until everyone is out in less than 2 minutes. That is the pass mark.

• Pick a meeting spot a safe distance from the home. That is what stops someone going back inside for a person who is already out.

The alarms are the other half of those 2 minutes, because they decide when the clock starts. The Red Cross says to install smoke alarms "on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms," test them once a month, change the batteries at least once a year, and replace the battery immediately if an alarm chirps. The payoff line is blunt: "Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half."

How do you find the alternate routes out of your own area?

Start by assuming they already exist, because in much of the country they do. State and city emergency management offices publish evacuation zones and route maps for free.

A state example. Virginia runs Know Your Zone. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management divides Coastal Virginia into 4 evacuation zones labeled A, B, C and D across 23 localities, and a household confirms its zone by entering its physical street address into the search bar on the interactive map. One address, one letter, done.

A city example. The City of Albuquerque Office of Emergency Management tells residents to "Identify more than one evacuation route," then hands them the maps to do it with: a downloadable citywide evacuation map plus separate maps for the northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest quadrants. The same page says to stay tuned to emergency broadcasts, which will tell you "which way not to go."

The broadcast is not there to give you a route. Your route is your homework. The broadcast is there to delete the ones that stopped working, and so is a community communication plan for disasters.

The regional to-do list is short:

1. Look up your state or city emergency management office and search for evacuation zones or maps.

2. If a zone lookup exists, put your actual street address in it and write the result down. A guessed zone is worth nothing.

3. Get the route maps and identify more than one way out.

4. Have a way to hear the broadcast. Ready.gov says to listen to a battery-powered radio and follow the instructions of local emergency officials.

How do you get the car ready for an evacuation?

Half a tank, always. Ready.gov's rule is to keep "a half tank of gas in it at all times in case of an unexpected need to evacuate," and to fill up when evacuation seems likely, because gas stations may be closed during emergencies and unable to pump gas during power outages.

The half-tank rule is not about range. It is about not needing a working gas station on the worst morning of the year.

The second half of vehicle readiness is rehearsal, and this is where most plans quietly fail. The Maine Emergency Management Agency tells people to practice the trip to their evacuation destination using "several different routes," to keep "a marked map and directions" in all of their vehicles, and gives the reason that makes the exercise worth a Saturday: under stress, people may forget routes they know well.

So the drill is this. Pick your destination, drive to it, then drive it again a different way. Mark both on a paper map and put a copy in every vehicle, because Maine tells you to. I am not dressing that up with a story about technology failing, because no source I trust publishes that rationale.

What should you do if your escape route is flooded?

Turn around, then pick the next route on your list. The National Weather Service publishes exact depths, and how deep is too deep is smaller than almost anyone guesses:

• 6 inches of moving water can knock you off your feet.

• 12 inches of water can float a car or small SUV.

• 18 inches of water can carry away large vehicles.

Six inches is ankle deep, and it takes your footing away. Twelve inches is shorter than a sheet of paper on its long edge.

The instruction that goes with those numbers is short and absolute: "Do NOT drive into flooded roadways or around a barricade." The campaign line is the easiest safety rule in the country to remember. Turn Around, Don't Drown.

One honest limit, because you will look for it. People want the depth at which a car stalls out, as if there were a safe number under the float number. The National Weather Service page gives float and carry-away thresholds only, and I am not supplying a stalling depth from anywhere else. The published numbers are 6, 12 and 18 inches, and the rule attached to them is not a depth judgment. It is to turn around.

Which is why alternative escape routes matter. A barricade is not a decision point if you already know your other 2 ways out. It is a left turn.

How do you plan a second way out for people who cannot move fast?

In advance and in writing, because the improvised version does not work. CDC frames it as multiple destinations with the transport question attached to each one: "Think of multiple places you could go and how you will get there if you need to evacuate your home."

The how-you-will-get-there is the part people drop. A destination without a means of travel is a wish. CDC's planning points for anyone whose mobility or health needs shape the trip:

• List the people who support your health and arrange with them to check on you directly in an emergency.

• If you use a power wheelchair, "have a lightweight manual chair available as a backup if possible."

• Plan how you will evacuate with your assistive devices, or how you would replace them if they are lost or damaged.

The backup chair is this article in one object. It is not a better chair. It is a second way out.

What about pets and livestock?

Take them with you, and learn the shelter limit now. Ready.gov is direct: "Take your pets with you, but understand that only service animals may be permitted in public shelters." So a pet owner needs a destination that accepts animals, which is one more reason Ready.gov wants several destinations rather than one.

Large animals need a different kind of second way out. The best short reference I have found is a Colorado State University Extension fact sheet (Livestock Series 1.814). Three things in it transfer directly:

• Practice the loading. The fact sheet says to "Practice loading your animals so you and the animals are familiar with the effort." A trailer you have never loaded under pressure is not a route out.

• Arrange care 15 to 40 miles away. CSU Extension suggests arranging temporary livestock care with friends or family 15 to 40 miles away, and identifying facilities in that same range. That is the several-destinations rule with a distance band on it.

• Identify the animals now. Tags, brands, ear tags or notches, livestock marker crayon or bright paint, plus individual and group photographs kept in a livestock disaster box.

If you keep animals, the loading practice is the drill that matters most. What you have rehearsed is what you can still do at 2 in the morning.

The part most escape plans skip

Nobody rehearses. That is the gap, and every source on this page points at it.

The Red Cross does not say have a plan. It says practice twice a year until everyone is out in under 2 minutes. Maine does not say know your route. It says practice the drive using several different routes, because under stress people forget routes they know well. Colorado State does not say own a trailer. It says practice loading your animals.

Three agencies, three scales, one instruction: the plan is the rehearsal. A plan you have only read is a document. A plan you have walked, driven and loaded is a skill, and the skill is what shows up when you need it.

Here is how I would spend 2 hours. Thirty minutes on the house: walk each room, name the second way out, open the window, run the drill with a stopwatch. Thirty minutes on paperwork: look up your zone with your real address, get the route maps, mark 2 routes on paper, put a copy in each vehicle. One hour driving: out on your first route, home on your second.

You do not have to be extreme to be ready. You have to have driven it once.

Frequently asked questions

What is an alternative escape route?

An alternative escape route is a second, pre-chosen and verified way out, planned before you need it. At the house scale, the American Red Cross says a home fire escape plan should provide at least 2 ways to escape from every room. At the regional scale, Ready.gov says to learn alternate routes out of your area and to choose several destinations in different directions.

How many ways out should every room in a house have?

At least 2. The American Red Cross calls for at least 2 ways to escape from every room of your home, plus a meeting spot a safe distance from the house. For most bedrooms the second way out is the window, so make sure whoever sleeps there can open it.

How much time do you have to escape a house fire?

As little as 2 minutes, according to the American Red Cross. That is why the same guidance says to practice your escape plan at least twice a year, and to keep practicing until every member of the household can get out in under 2 minutes. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half, so they are part of that time budget too.

How do I find out which evacuation zone I am in?

Check whether your state or city emergency management office publishes a zone lookup, then enter your real street address rather than guessing. Virginia's Know Your Zone program, run by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, uses 4 zones labeled A, B, C and D across 23 localities in Coastal Virginia, and a household confirms its zone by typing its street address into the search bar of the interactive map.

How much gas should I keep in the tank in case I need to evacuate?

At least a half tank at all times. Ready.gov says to keep a half tank of gas in the vehicle in case of an unexpected need to evacuate, and to fill up when evacuation looks likely, because gas stations may be closed during emergencies and unable to pump gas during power outages.

How deep does water have to be before you should not drive through it?

Do not drive through it at all. The National Weather Service says 6 inches of moving water can knock you off your feet, 12 inches can float a car or small SUV, and 18 inches can carry away large vehicles. Its instruction is to not drive into flooded roadways or around a barricade. Turn Around, Don't Drown.

One way out is not a plan. It is a guess that has worked so far. The fix is cheap: name the second way out of every room, find the second road out of your area, keep the tank half full, and drive it once so your hands know the turns.

Start with what you have. You almost certainly have a window, a paper map and a Saturday.

You never know, but you can always be ready.

Sources: FEMA Ready.gov, Evacuation Guidelines | NOAA National Weather Service, During a Flood | American Red Cross, You May Have Only Two Minutes to Escape a Home Fire | Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Know Your Zone | Maine Emergency Management Agency, Practice Your Evacuation Route | City of Albuquerque Office of Emergency Management, Evacuation Planning | CDC, Make a Plan for People with Disabilities | Colorado State University Extension, Caring for Livestock Before Disaster