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Fire Safety Basics for Kids | SERVPRO® of Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties
6/14/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO of Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties is here for you and your family if you experience a fire in your home or business.
It is such a joy to watch your children grow—to see the world through the eyes of a child again as they learn and grow in creativity and curiosity. While you help them learn, you must also help them stay safe, which means teaching them about scary things in not-so-scary ways.
Fire safety is an incredibly important lesson that children need to learn as early as possible. If a fire happens in your home, everyone will be scared, regardless of age, but the more prepared each member of your house is, the better the response will be.
Introduce fire safety to your children early and often in a comfortable environment so that they can take quick action if an emergency happens.
In order for children to understand the gravity of a fire emergency, they need to first understand cause and effect. Talk with your kids about different ways fires can start in your home and how quickly they can spread. Show them some of the more dangerous areas of your home where a fire could start, like the stove or a fireplace if you have one. Make sure they know how to use these items carefully and safely, or to stay away from them all together.
Matches and lighters in your home should be stored in a safe place where small children cannot access them. If you have older children, make sure they understand these are not toys before allowing them to use them. Entire house fires can start from a single match.
As you explain some of the common causes of fires in the home, make sure you explain what a response to a fire would look like, including introducing them to firefighters and police officers. Show your children pictures of firefighters in all of their gear, or take them by the local firehouse to see trucks and gear in person.
Teach your children some basic emergency information, like their full name and how to safely crawl through a potentially smoke-filled room. Turn your smoke detectors on once a month so the kids can hear them, and walk them through what to do if they go off during an event.
Turn your preparations into a game in order to make your children comfortable and allow for some hands-on experience. Try seeing who can army-crawl the fastest, or roll across the floor in a stop, drop and roll contest.
If you do not already have one, create an emergency exit plan for your family. Let the kids get creative with paper and markers as you draw out the fastest way out of each room.
Practice your exit plan when you test your smoke detectors every month so the plan is always fresh on everyone’s mind. Make sure your kids understand this plan is to be used in the event of an emergency only, and they should not otherwise be climbing out the windows!
Create a meeting place somewhere outside of your home, and gather the kiddos at it often so they feel safe there. Make it “base” when you play tag! Kids as young as age 5 should know how to call 911 and give basic information about themselves, their parents and their home. Help your kids memorize names and phone numbers to be used during an emergency.
Fires can cause widespread damage. Call us for a thorough and efficient restoration.