Top 10 Tips for Teaching Kids About
Fire Safety
(http://childcare.about.com/od/childsafet1/tp/firesafetytips.htm) |
Childcare
providers, teachers and parents alike should partner together to teach children
of all ages, and especially youngsters, about fire safety. Here are 10 tips for
teaching fire safety for kids.
1)
Escape Route Planning
Designate
two ways out of every room, if at all possible. Today’s media rooms (rooms
created without windows) can create a particular fire entrapment issue, and
parents should evaluate their home and establish a plan in those instances.
2)
Windows Are For More Than Fresh Air
Make
sure that windows are not stuck closed, that screens can be removed quickly,
and that security bars can be opened. For parents in particular, if a child’s
bedroom is upstairs, they should be able to complete these tasks in the event
of an emergency.
3)
Second Floor Safety
Escape
ladders should be placed near second floor windows, and children should
practice using them. For extremely young kids, a “mini-exercise” from a
first-floor window can at least educate the child as to expectations.
4)
Feeling Way to Safety
Children
should practice feeling their way out of the home in the dark or with their
eyes closed. Parents and providers can turn this into a game by blindfolding a
child and placing in a room and asking them to feel their way to a designated
area. Daycares and child care providers can set it up an obstacle course, and
then provide cues and help so that when they reach a designated end point, a
special treat awaits! (It could be as simple as lunch served outside!)
5)
9-1-1 Is A Critical Teaching Skill
Children
show know how to call 911. Consider teaching a 911 song to reinforce the
numbers (one option is sung to “Frere Jacques”): There’s a fire! There’s a
fire! 9-1-1! 9-1-1! Call the fire department! Call the fire department! 9-1-1!
9-1-1! Reinforce this by letting them practice on an unplugged phone. Or, have
them create telephones with large keypads they can practice on. (One crafty
child care provider uses the small sticky notes taped on a cardboard phone
cut-out.)
6)
Smoke Detectors 101
Teach
children about smoke detectors, why they are installed, how they work, and the
sound that they make. Children need to be able to associate the sound going off
with a fire as part of fire safety for kids. Adults should change batteries
regularly to avoid having the alarm go off because batteries are running low,
and risk frightening a child.
7)
Out Means Stay Out
Teach
children that once they are out of a burning house or building, they must go to
the designated place and never, ever venture back in. If someone or a family
pet is missing, they should inform a fire fighter or adult. There are too many
tragedies that could have been avoided in the cases where an individual who has
gotten out safely to venture back in the home or building, only to perish.
8)
It's In The Touch
Instruct
kids how to check doors to see if they are hot, and if so, how to find another
way out. Fire safety for kids includes having them find a towel to use for
handling, touching or grabbing items to avoid burns, and to also use the towel
or cover to protect their faces and cover their mouths.
9)
Stop, Drop and Roll
Teach
kids what to do in the event that their clothes catch fire. Make sure they
understand “stop, drop and roll.” Many a fire-related injury could have been
avoided or greatly minimized if a child heeded this advice instead of the
natural instinct of running.
10)
Practice Monthly
Practice
your escape plan at least twice a year with children as part of fire safety for
kids, preferably monthly. Families and providers should also practice fire
drills and alter areas affected by fire.
|