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Every year children start close to 100,000 fires. These fires are responsible for property damage, injury and even death. More people die in fires than all natural disasters combined. The best way to avoid becoming a victim to fire is to learn how to prevent them. Make sure your children know what to do to prevent accidental fires and how to react if a fire should occur.
Prevention is very important. Here are some important things to teach your children:
Never place blankets, toys, towels, clothes, or anything on top of a lamp. The bulb can cause things to ignite.
Never touch heaters or radiators and keep toys and clothes away from these units. Have parents adjust heat settings.
Never stand close to stoves, grills or fireplaces. Clothes can catch fire.
If clothes ever catch fire, remember to "Stop, drop and roll"
Never put objects inside toasters or electrical outlets.
Never touch candles, matches, lighters, or any flame source.
Your kids should learn that playing with any kind of fire is highly dangerous, and that they shouldn't even be allowed to touch matches lighters or any thing that can ignite. They should also learn what to do if a fire occurs. Teach them where to go if they hear a smoke alarm go off, or it they smell smoke. Teach them to NEVER hide in the closet or under the bed or anyplace else. Have an evacuation plan and a back up plan for your family and designate a safe meeting place for everyone to meet.
Fire safety in the home is everyone's responsibility and making sure these safety measures are being used it's up to parents to set the example and prevent fires also. To prevent burns in the kitchen, make sure that all pot handles are turned into the stove so a passing person doesn't knock the pet off. Make sure that smoke detectors are installed correctly and that the batteries are changed on a regular basis at least once a year.
Fire drills are very important. Make sure you have fire drills on a regular basis. Teach your children the quickest route out of the house, and also show a back up route in the event that the main route is blocked. Teach the children that it's best to get on all fours and crawl through smoke because smoke rises and all the good air will be close to the floor. Practice the fire drills until you can get out in the quickest time possible. The more you practice, the better you will be.
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