Teach Your Child Fire Safety

Each year, fires kill and injure hundreds of children. Most of these deaths and injuries are preventable. Learn some simple tips to protect your children and lower their risk.

Detection 101

Unfortunately, a common sight at a house fire is a smoke detector that has had the batteries pulled out at some point. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are your first line of defense in a fire. If you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation, it won’t beep incessantly every time you cook. All too often, detectors are placed in poor locations and steam from the bathroom or cooking grease will set them off. Many new homes are now designed with smoke detectors hard-wired. However, it’s still a good idea to have a few battery operated models in case of a power failure. If you have a fire, one of the first things that will go is your power, leaving you with no alarm system in place.

Detectors should be tested monthly. This is the perfect time to teach your children what the different alarms will sound like, and to hold a home fire drill. Schools have fire drills all the time, but we never think to have them at home. Figure out your escape routes, and explain to your children how they should exit the building and where the designated meeting place is. It may seem a bit silly at first; homes are relatively small compared to schools, and we think they are easy to get out of. However, add panic, heavy smoke, and possible structural collapse and it becomes a different animal. Try a few different potential situations, having the “fire” starting in various locations in the house, so that your children get used to leaving the house in a variety of ways.

If, for any reason, your detectors go off, get your children out of the building immediately. Even if you know for certain that your latest culinary project is the cause, exiting the building will reinforce the idea that they should leave when they hear the alarms. Investigating the alarms first will only teach your children to walk into a potentially dangerous situation. Courtesy of new construction and “silent flooring”, there is very little time (5-7 minutes) before structural failure can occur during a fire. Don’t risk your children’s lives while you investigate the detectors.

Preparing for the worst

Having a few fire extinguishers in the house and garage is an excellent idea too. If your children are old enough, teach them when and how to operate one (a little hint: practice outside). Extinguishers should always be positioned near an exit, so that there is a means of escape if your firefighting efforts are unsuccessful. It’s common to find extinguishers hanging close to the kitchen stove; however this might mean having to reach through flames to get it. It makes more sense to put it by the nearest door, so that you can back out as you release the chemical.

Make certain that you and your family know the emergency numbers in your area and keep them posted by the phone. Not every town is serviced by 911; rural areas still have local numbers and during a crisis, these can be difficult to remember. Whether it’s 911 or a local number, carefully instruct your children to use this service only in an emergency.

It is also important to teach your children what to do if there is no visible means of escape. Fires can happen anytime, anywhere and your kids might not be near a convenient door. Jumping out of a second story window isn’t a smart idea. Should your children not have ready access to an exit when they hear the alarms, there are other things they can do. First, have them feel the door with the back of their hands. Instruct them that if it’s hot to touch, they shouldn’t open it. Have them push blankets or clothes up against the bottom of the door to prevent smoke from entering the room (more fatalities are caused from smoke inhalation than from actual burns). Teach them to keep low to the floor where there is more oxygen available, with a dry towel or blanket over their head to keep additional smoke out. If there is a window available, have them open it just enough to get some fresh air. Opening the window too much can do one of two things; it can actually fuel the fire and make it worse, and a panicked child could fall from the window by leaning too far out.

Another problem when dealing with very young children and home fires is that they have a tendency to hide. They’re terrified, so they’ll try to hole up in closets, under beds, even in cupboards. This makes it difficult, if not impossible for a firefighter to find them in time. If a child does come face to face with a firefighter in full gear, he may actually run away in sheer terror. To the uninitiated, they can look like monsters.

Suggest a trip to your local fire department to your child’s teacher or daycare provider. Use this as a teaching aide in your home prevention plan. Have a firefighter (in plain clothes at first) explain to the children the importance of not hiding, and how hard it is to rescue them if they do hide. Also, have the firefighter slowly put on his/her gear, one piece at a time, so that the children can become accustomed to it gradually. Let the kids hear what the firefighter’s voice will sound like when breathing through a regulator. By making it all part of a fun outing, your children won’t be quite as frightened when encountering a firefighter on the job.

Prevention

Matches and lighters are another home hazard. Make sure both are put away, out of the reach of small children. Older children should be taught the dangers of using either one. Many home fires are caused by children playing with matches and lighters. Make certain your children understand that these are not toys.

Fires don’t just happen at home. Those holiday wiener roasts are another source of potential tragedy. Have your children sit far enough away from the fire that they don’t accidentally catch a sleeve in the flames. Items such as extra logs, skewers, coolers, etc. should all be moved well away from the fire to prevent tripping and falling. Horseplay should never be allowed near a fire, nor should you or your children pour accelerators like gasoline on it. Teach your children how to “stop, drop and roll” in the event that they have their clothes catch on fire. As well, instruct them on how to smother flames on another person using a blanket or similar article. Practice both on a regular basis.

Fires can produce warm, cozy memories or life altering nightmares. Take the steps necessary to educate and prepare yourself and your children in the event that fire negatively impacts your life.