Teaching Your Kids about Fire Safety

For a child, fire can seem like a fascinating toy. It's fun to see how paper, plastic, metal, and food all react when jabbed into a flame. No matter how amusing it might seem, playing with fire is dangerous. It can be difficult to explain fire safety to a child though. To help you ensure that your little ones are safe around flames, it’s necessary to teach them the basics. From understanding fire sprinklers in Berkeley Heights to teaching them how to stop, drop, and roll, here are 10 things that every child should know about fires. 

1. Matches aren’t toys. There is nothing cooler to a kid than striking a match and watching it burn. Teach your kids that matches should never be played with. These lighting devices burn quickly and can easily start other things on fire. Avoiding lighters, matches, and candles is an absolute must.
2. Familiarize them with fire preventing devices. Your children should understand the purpose of fire detectors, fire sprinklers, and fire extinguishers. On a regular basis, show them how these things work and how they are used when a fire occurs.
3. Don’t hide, go outside. In the event of a fire in your home, does your child know what to do? Teach your children the importance of getting out of a burning building as quickly and safely as possible. They shouldn’t hide or wait for firefighters to reach their location. Instead, get outside and meet parents or caregivers at a designated spot.
4. Create an escape plan. While you do need to teach your children not to hide in the event of a fire, they need to know how to escape. Create a plan with a few different escape routes out of each room in your home. This gives them a few different options should smoke block one of their paths. Pick a meeting location outside of your home where everyone should gather after getting out of the house following a fire.
5. Stop, drop, and roll. If your child is involved in an incident which catches them on fire, they need to know how to put it out. Teach them to stop moving, drop to the ground, and roll around as quickly as possible to put the fire out. Practice this a few times as well so that it sticks with them.
6. Fall and crawl. Teach your children about the importance of avoiding smoke in the event of a fire. If they wake up to a smoky house, they need to fall to the floor and crawl through the escape route that you’ve talked about. This prevents smoke inhalation and keeps their lungs healthy.
7. Don’t take anything with you. When a fire occurs, your child will most likely want to pack a bag and take all of their favorite toys with them. Teach them the importance of getting out quickly and leaving the rest behind. Things can be replaced. Lives can’t.
8. 9-1-1. In the event of a fire, your children should know exactly who to call. Teach them how to unlock a cell phone or pick up the home phone and dial 9-1-1. Have them practice telling the dispatcher their address and explaining that there was a fire. 

Once you have taught these points to your kids, keep practicing and reviewing them. The more informed your children are, the better. Fire safety is some of the most important information they can retain in their minds. Then, if the fire alarm ever sounds or if the fire sprinklers in Berkeley Heights ever start spraying, your family will know exactly what to do. After all, this type of knowledge can save lives.

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