Teach Your Children About Fire Safety
As unfortunate as it sounds, smoking cigarettes is the primary cause of home fires. This grueling statistic shows that adults are not being responsible when, using flames or leaving flammables unattended. In the winter months an equal amount of fires are caused by heating equipment and wiring problems. Third on the list of fires in the home comes from cooking-related or kitchen fires. Each of these top three reasons for fires in the home are preventable. It’s up to the adult to be responsible and teach their children about fire safety.
School districts around the country are required to teach students about fire-safety, many schools have firemen visit schools where they discuss the do-and-don’ts of fire usage. In the event of a child’s clothing catching fire, it’s important that children and adults are aware of the “stop-drop-and roll” method. Instruct children that if clothing ever catches on fire, they should immediately stop whatever they are doing, drop to the ground and begin to roll back and forth repeatedly and quickly to extinguish the flame.
Emergency phone numbers need to in an easy-to-reach area, preferably on a wall near a phone or on the refrigerator in the kitchen. Show children where these numbers are located and explain how important it is to call for help as soon as possible. Along with emergency phone numbers, plan a fire escape route with your children in the event of a fire. That way, every household member is familiar with a variety of escape routes along with one central meeting location if a fire occurs in the house. Have periodic fire drills so that the entire family is knowledgeable and prepared to handle fire situations.
Fire drills are not just for schools and the workplace. Families should practice and discuss fire escape routes and meeting locations at least once a month with children. Along with drills, it’s important to have other fire-preventive measures in place. Install fire and smoke detectors in all bedrooms, halls, and kitchens in the home. It’s important to discuss fire detectors with your children. Let them hear how it sounds. That way, children will know what sort of fire safety measures to take if a fire alarm sounds. Also, as the responsible adult, be sure to perform monthly checks to make sure alarms are working. It is recommended by fire marshals and fire-safety professionals that batteries are changed twice yearly.
A fire can start just about anywhere in the home. Keep a fire extinguisher in the home. A good location to house an extinguisher is in the kitchen. In regards to matches and lighters, it’s imperative that children understand that matches and cigarette lighters are off-limits to children. Explain how dangerous they can be if not handled by an adult. Keep any candles or other easily combustible items out of reach of children as well. If you have a fireplace in the home, instruct children that this is an adult-area only. Children are never to play near or around fireplaces. Also, instruct children to stay clear of barbeque pits, wood stoves, and camp grills.
Keep all of these fire safety tips in place in the home. Your children’s lives may be at stake one day. Stay prepared and keep a fire-preventive mindset as the adult caregiver.
