When I was doing fire wardens' training for work, the trainer told us that he and a fire service colleague had investigated the fire exit in a hotel where they were staying. It was totally blocked with stored furniture! Of course, he had it dealt with.
That made me conscious of the hazards and, since then, I have always checked the fire exits when staying away from home. I've thought about escape from the house, too.
At night we keep our front door key near the door, attached by a magnet to a torch (which, being bigger, is easier to find). We keep the key to each window on the windowsill, too. Family and visitors know to leave via the window in an emergency - not a problem in itself as the bedrooms are on the ground floor.