Author: LARRY PHILLIPS
What Every Child Needs To Know To Survive A House Fire
You love your home, and you treasure your family, but a fire will put both at serious risk. House fires. In an average year, hundreds of thousands of homes are lost to fire, and even more tragically thousands of people lose their lives to the flames.
If you want to protect your home and your family, you need to include every member in the discussion. Even young kids can understand the devastating effects of fire and teaching them to respect that power is a great way to keep them safe. Here are 10 essential fire safety tips your kids need to know.
SAFETY TIPS FOR CHILDREN CONCERNING THE STOVE
Only use the stove when mom or dad are around. Using the stove and electrical appliances unsupervised could start a fire, so teach your kids to avoid cooking when adults are not at home. There are stove safety guards that can protect your children from the dangers of kitchen stoves.
Stove safety guards will keep little hands and fingers out of the way, so they do not get burned on a hot surface, or worse, caught in an open flame.
CANDLES, MATCHES AND LIGHTERS
Candles are a great source of heat and light when the power goes out or they are in a situation where electricity isn't available. Parents should emphasis to their children never touch matches, lighters or candles. Stress that those items are for adult use only and consider locking them away or hiding them from the kids.
What should you do if your power goes out and you do not have an emergency power generator? The first step is to stock up on supplies like batteries for your flashlight or radio. Candles. Lighters and matches are great to include in preparing for an outage, they will help you conserve battery life.
CREATE A FIRE ESCAPE PLAN WITH CHILDREN
Have a plan for escape. Having an escape plan is important, and your kids should identify at least two exit routes from their bedrooms and the house. Consider installing fire safety equipment like ladders to facilitate an evacuation.
WE HAVE NEW FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Know where the fire extinguishers are located - and how to use them. Keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen is a great way to protect the family, but only if everyone knows how to use it. Holding regular fire safety drills is a smart way to protect the people you love.
CHILDREN GET LOW AND GO Go low. Smoke rises and standing up in the midst of a fire could lead to smoke inhalation and even death. Teach your kids to crawl to safety and only stand up once they are safely out of the house.
CHILDREN GO TO SAFEZONE NO EXCEPTIONS Establish a safe place to meet. It is easy to get separated in the chaos a fire brings, so make sure every member of the family knows exactly where they will meet if they need to evacuate in the middle of the night.
The assembly point is a place for people to come together in the event of an emergency. It's important that you know where it is and how to get there quickly.
OUT MEANS OUT Out means out. If you do have to evacuate the home due to a fire, make sure the kids know that out means out. Once they are safely out of the home, they are to stay outside until the fire has been safely extinguished and the firefighters have given the all clear signal.
CHILDREN AND SMART PHONES
Program emergency numbers into your child's smartphone. If your child has a smartphone, make sure emergency numbers for the fire department and emergency responders are programmed into the device.
ALLOW CHILDREN TO TEST THE SMOKE DETECTOR Let your kids test the smoke detectors. Checking smoke detectors once a month is important, so let your kids help. Teach your kids to test the devices, and to change the batteries.
DURING A FIRE NEVER USE AN ELEVATOR IN A HIGH-RISE APARTMENT Teach your kids to avoid elevators if a fire breaks out at a hotel or other vacation accommodation. If you are staying at a hotel, make sure your kids know the way out, and that they understand that elevators can be dangerous in an emergency.
Fire safety starts at home, and even your youngest children are old enough to understand the dangers fire brings with it. If you want your family to stay safe and escape alive, you need to include your children in those fire safety discussions. The 10 tips listed above can help you stay protected, so you can enjoy your home more and worry less.
