Escaping a fire in a high-rise isn't the same as escaping a single-family home. The exits are different, the risks are different, and the plan needs to be different too. As part of the national Close Before You Doze campaign from UL's Fire Safety Research Institute, the City is encouraging all residents of apartment and high-rise buildings to take a few simple steps now, before an emergency ever happens.

Start by Getting to Know Your Building

Every high-rise has its own fire safety features — smoke detectors, alarms, sprinklers, evacuation routes, and in some cases, designated shelter-in-place areas. Understanding what's in place before a fire starts can make all the difference when it counts.

A few things worth doing this week:

• Request a copy of your building's fire evacuation plan from your landlord or property manager.
• Count the doors between your apartment and the nearest stairwell, so you're not figuring it out for the first time during an emergency.
• Ask whether your floor has a dedicated evacuation elevator or shelter-in-place location. Some buildings do.

Fire safety in a shared building is a team effort — residents, landlords, and neighbors all play a part in keeping it safe.

A Simple Habit That Makes a Real Difference

One of the easiest things residents can do is make closing their door part of their nightly routine.

It's a small habit with a big payoff. A closed door can hold back smoke, carbon monoxide, and flames, and buy valuable extra time to respond if an alarm sounds. In fact, there can be as much as a 900°F difference between a room with the door left open during a fire and the same room with the door closed. Closing your door before bed costs nothing and could make a real difference.

Build a Plan With Three Parts: A, B, and C

Every household should have an escape plan that accounts for more than one scenario, because a fire doesn't always leave your primary exit open.

Plan A — Primary Exit If you need to leave your apartment, take your key, use your primary exit, and close the door behind you as you go. Avoid the elevator during a fire unless building staff advise otherwise. Once you're outside or at your meeting place, call 911 and let responders know if anyone may still be inside.

Plan B — Alternate Exit If your primary exit isn't available, head to your alternate exit instead, key in hand. Close doors behind you as you move through the stairwell — each closed door helps slow the fire's spread for others. Call 911 once you're safe.

Plan C — Shelter in Place If you can't get out, get behind a closed door as far from the fire as possible and call 911 to report exactly where you are. If you can't make it out of your hallway, you may need to return to your own apartment — another reason to always carry your key. From there:

• Cover the cracks around the door with towels, clothes, or anything else on hand.
• If smoke is coming in and you need air, open a window, if possible, to let smoke rise above your head.
• Stay near the window, and wave or call out to make yourself visible to firefighters.
• If the window won't open, stay low to the ground and keep calling for help.

Talk It Through With Your Household

A plan only works if everyone knows it. Take a few minutes to walk through your building's safety features and your Plan A, B, and C with everyone in your household, including overnight guests. And remember: if you're able to get out, stay out — don't go back inside for any reason. Leave that to trained responders.

Prepare Now, Not During an Emergency

The most important step is simply having a plan before you need one. Take a little time this week to review your building's layout, identify your exits, and talk it through with your household.

Learn more and start building your plan at closeyourdoor.org.

Download more information:

• High-Rise Apartment Escape Plan Guide

Source: Close Before You Doze, Escape Plan Guide: High-Rise Apartment, © 2025 Underwriters Laboratories Inc.