No home is too small . . .

Imagine living in a house that comes with all the basics: a bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen; it even has room for a bookshelf. This may not seem unusual, unless of course you consider that the house is only 89-square feet.

Owner and builder, Jay Shafer, chose to minimize his stress by minimizing his space. I doubt anything goes on in Jay's house that he doesn't know about, including a fire, but it's still important to have escape routes planned. You know, just in case.

Keep the following tips in mind when creating your own emergency escape plan:

• Plan two escape routes from each room.
• Make sure your plan includes all floors and rooms including garage, stairways and elevators.
• Know the location of fire extinguishers and utility cut off points.
• Decide on a meeting place for all members of your household to gather during an emergency evacuation. Make sure EVERYONE knows where it is.
• Practice your emergency evacuation twice a year with all household members.

For more tips on disaster preparedness, visit www.redcross.org.