Fire Safety for Kids Guide

Facts about Fire Safety (Statistics)

According to the USFA, in the last 10 years (2009 to 2018), home fires have increased by at least 4%. One of the leading causes is cooking, followed by heating and other careless behaviors and then electrical malfunctions. And because home fires have been prominent and everyday tasks such as cooking cannot be avoided, what we can only do is to take the necessary precautions and teach fire safety for children to reduce danger possibilities. This way, you and your family can be well prepared for such disasters.

Tips on Reducing Home Fire Risks

To prevent any home fire, it is important to reduce them where necessary. This is one of the most important steps and yet the most neglected one because we are caught up with the usual everyday activities. Learning and practicing how to do this becomes a stepping stone to educate fire prevention for kids. Below we discuss a few guidelines for you as well as fire safety tips for kids.

Do not overload your electrical outlets

Perhaps most of us, if not all, are quite guilty of this. We tend to overload our outlets by plugging several devices and appliances in one place. We even employ the use of extension cords to utilize the space and electrical socket. Although convenient, we should avoid doing this so as not to overload the wires which could start the fire.

Avoid clutter build-up

By reducing clutter, especially those closest to combustibles, we prevent the items that can catch and spread the fire. This starts from papers, cardboards, cloth, and any other fire-attractive materials. Teaching your children to always clean up their toys in the kitchen is already among the effective fire safety tips for kids.

Do not leave heat-generating appliances (in use) unattended

When you are cooking, never leave your stove burners unattended. This makes it difficult to control if a fire happens to break out of the appliance. A general principle is that you should never leave something burning (in use) unattended. Whether it is a small list candle or when heating food in the microwave. Chances are, if the fire starts, you can do something about it when you are there as opposed to when you are in a different room.

Matches, lighters, and torches should be kept out of reach

Even though you can trust a responsible child, there is always a chance that they can accidentally light the fire and burn something. By keeping those things out of reach, you reduce the possibility of them being used unattended.

Clean your appliances and conduct proper maintenance

Now and then, your heat-generating appliances will need maintenance and proper care. Cleaning them timely reduces the potential of fire breakouts because the tendency is that you will recognize when something needs to be fixed and replaced before it gets worse. Thorough cleaning will not only prevent fire hazards but will also expand the longevity of your appliances.

Have fire extinguishers in your home

It is best to invest in multiple fire extinguishers in your home and to make sure that they are regularly checked for expiration. Having fire extinguishers in several areas of your home makes it possible to face fire hazards. Should the fire go out of hand, you need to have a fire escape plan for kids already in place.

Other Important Actions to Take

Aside from the tips to reduce fire hazards, other important actions need to be done. Some of these include acquiring fire prevention products, building a fire escape plan, and empowering fire safety for kids.

Acquire a smoke detector for your home

Having a smoke detector in every room and every floor is necessary to combat fire spread. This includes installing one in your basement too. It is also important that you check the expiry date of each alarm when you move into a new home or when you purchase a new one. And replace them when they expire. It is best that you conduct smoke test alarms at least twice a year, or monthly for maximum security. As part of fire prevention for kids, you will also have to educate them what the signals and sounds mean so that they can react to them properly.

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Build a fire escape plan for kids

Formulating a fire escape plan is necessary, as well as practicing fire safety for children. This way, your family is aware of how to respond in case of a fire emergency. Kids that are at the age of 3 and above can typically follow a taught fire escape plan. And you can start learning and teaching using fire safety videos for kids as a reference.

Fire safety tips for kids:

• Keep the doors and exits accessible and clear of toys, clutter, and other debris.
• Create a visual diagram in your home for the escape routes.
• Setup a safe meeting spot outside of the home, which should be far from the burning structure and yet easy for kids to go.
• Make sure you practice the fire escape plan once a month and refine your plan, where necessary.

Do’s and Don’ts in case of home fire

What TO do when there is fire?

Escape immediately

When a fire breaks out, your family must try to escape as soon as possible. And this is where your fire escape plan for kids kicks in. Heavy smoke and gases will accumulate near the ceiling. You must teach kids to crawl through rooms to reduce exposure to smoke as much as possible until you get to the next area where you can stand and hurry. This technique of fire safety for children can get you a long way. If you have an infant, you will need to shield their head under your body with one arm to avoid smoke inhalation.

If you cannot escape, stay put

If all areas to evacuate are blocked, stay put in a safer room and close the door to slow down the fire creep. Cover the cracks of the doors with cloth or tape so that the gases are kept out as long as possible. Secure a flashlight on your hand to give a signal to rescue teams of your location. Should your kids be trapped in another room, ensure that as part of your fire safety for kids, they have the same knowledge as you in these circumstances.

Stop, drop and roll if fire catches on you

It is important as fire safety for kids to know what to do if they catch fire on their clothes. The first is to stop, drop and roll so that the flame is deprived of oxygen. If your child cannot extinguish the flame, you will need to quench it with blankets or towels. You can teach this by referencing fire safety videos for kids and doing it yourself so they can follow.

What NOT to do when there is fire?

Do not hide in closets or under your bed

It is false to teach as fire prevention for kids, that hiding in tight spaces will be a safe place. This is a tempting place, but also a dangerous one because one can be trapped. It also makes it difficult to locate them by the rescue team. Instead, they can stay on the floor next to their bed.

Do not gather toys and belongings

Some fire safety tips for kids as well as to stop gathering belongings even if it is their favorite toy. Let them understand that it is not worth the risk to get it as the situation could be more dangerous. Fire will quickly spread, and they would leave things behind and act fast.

Do not go back inside a burning home or room

Once you have evacuated the building, do not return for any reason. For as long as your fire escape plan for kids is in place, they should know what to do. Firefighters and the rescue are well trained to respond in these circumstances and work their way quickly if anyone inside is left trapped. It is a bigger risk to get more people trapped if you go back inside.

Teaching fire safety for kids

Good fire prevention for kids is not to play with fire, matches, and lighters. If you can prevent them, you can reduce the risk. Some more fire safety tips for kids are not to be near fire hazards and other heat sources. Teach kids to be 3-feet away from them. And as an adult, do not leave them unattended if they happen to be near one. You can learn more creative approaches by searching for different fire safety videos for kids.

FAQs

1. Why is fire safety important?

Learning this is important for adults is equally important as teaching fire safety for kids. Fire safety can save your family’s life because it gets everyone prepared. By embedding fire prevention for kids, you eliminate the chances of risk and raise awareness where necessary.

2. How do you explain fire safety to a child?

One of the most effective ways is to source fire safety videos for kids. This way, they are engaged and can have a visual reference of how things are done. In some ways, you can also be creative, inventing a song attributed to the steps of fire safety procedures. It also is incorporated in a playful activity that they can practice, especially when it comes to the stop, drop and roll method.

3. How do you make a fire escape plan for kids?

To enhance fire safety for children, you – as an adult will have to create an escape plan. Below are a few things to consider:

• Think about the proper escape routes so that you can plan for them.
• Practice with your child in opening the escape doors, windows and operating the escape ladders.
• Incorporate time to practice each month the full escape plan.

4. What are the four goals of fire protection?

The 4 main goals of fire protection are (a) to prevent the presence of fire, (b) prevent casualties, death, or loss of life if a fire breaks out, (c) isolate the fire to its source area, and (d) extinguish the fire. These 4 goals should not only be known but also embedded as part of your fire safety for children.

Conclusion

As we have discussed several things to keep fire breakouts under control, it is also important that we train and educate our children on how to respond to them. This way, we can equip them to protect themselves and act accordingly in times of emergency. There are several sources available online as well as other fire safety videos for kids which you can reference to widen your knowledge and impart to your kids.