It is only natural for a child to be curious about fire. Parents need to be proactive in this matter and teach their children about fire safety before their curiosity turns into tragedy. Every year, thousands of people die in fires and tens of thousands of people are injured. Use these tips to teach your children about fire safety so your home and family do not become part of these statistics.
The first rule of thumb when dealing with children is to keep things as plain and simple as you can. They are not going to remember long and involved explanations or difficult plans. Just remember back when you were a kid and how disinterested you were in things your parents had to say when discussing “rules” and you will realize how easy it is to lose their attention.
Next, make things fun for them. Yes, you are talking about a very serious subject but if you make it fun and interesting, the lesson is more likely to be absorbed. Get them involved in the conversation and find out what they think about fire. If you get started by discussing their areas of interest first, you can probably keep their attention for the entire sitting.
Stress how dangerous fire can be. Download videos from YouTube showing how quickly fire can spread and the devastating effect it can have in just a few minutes. Kids need to understand that things like matches and lighters are not toys and that they should never be played with casually. Simply put, there is NEVER a reason for a child to have them in their hands.
Develop an evacuation plan and go over it with the kids. Stress both their primary and secondary escape routes. Go over where everyone will meet if an evacuation were ever to occur. Go over the plan every few months to make sure everyone knows it and practice the fire drill. You can even turn this into a type of competition and reward the child that completes the drill both the quickest and in the correct manner.
Finally, demonstrate how to operate your safety measures. All of the children should know where fire extinguishers are located and how to operate them. It is important that if there is a fire, the children do not remain inside the home if they have to call the fire department. Make sure they leave and call outside from either a cell phone or from a neighbor’s home. Safety is first, then call the fire department.