Basic safety rules

• Kids need a few clear rules about what they shouldn’t do when you are not there to supervise. “Don’t play with matches or lighters” may seem obvious but if you don’t tell your children, you can’t be sure they know. They need to be specifically told things such as not to light candles (even if you yourself use them regularly for the lovely smell), not to try to start a campfire on their own, and not to attempt to start the woodstove or fireplace without oversight.

• Make sure your children know which appliances they can use when you are not available and how to use them safely. Younger children shouldn’t use the stove. Show them how to make sure that nothing flammable is too close to the toaster or toaster oven. Better yet, limit them to the microwave if you aren’t in the same room. Older children who might use an iron need to be shown how to do so safely and how to unplug it when they are finished.
• Emphasize that there is no way to hide from a fire. They need to get out of the house as fast as they can. Several firefighters have told me sad, sad stories of finding children under the beds, in a closet, or in the bathroom of a burning home. Many of these kids died.

Equipping your home

• Make sure that your home has the required number of smoke detectors and that they all work. If they are battery operated, check them regularly. Never take the batteries out because you need one for something like the TV remote. Keeping detectors working is a priority.

• Buy a simple extinguisher for your kitchen and make sure everyone in the house knows how to use it. Make sure everyone knows not to throw water on a grease fire and how to smother it instead. If you have a woodstove or fireplace, have an extinguisher handy there too. Help your children understand if and when to try using the extinguisher and when they should just get out of the house fast.
• If you have a two story house, buy a collapsible ladder for each room that might be cut off from escape. Make sure that kids can open the window, set up the ladder, and get out on their own. Practice.

Fire drills

• Teach children to leave the house, then call the fire department from a neighbor’s. Using a toy phone, have the kids practice dialing 911 and giving their name and complete address.

• Show the kids what your home smoke detector sounds like. Make sure they know they should leave immediately if they hear that sound. They should not stop to get dressed, to grab a favorite toy, or to look for the dog. A fire can move faster than a person can run. The quicker people get out, the more likely they will be safe.
• The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Practice Your Escape Plan.” It isn’t enough to tell kids how to get out of the house in case of fire. Plan and practice home fire drills. This gives the kids needed practice and shows you if they really understand what you’ve told them. Make a game out of drills and they can help you all be prepared without adding to your child’s fears. Now and then put an obstacle in the way so the kids have to figure another way out. Make sure you practice at night as well as during the day. So you don’t scare them, let the kids know in advance that you will be holding a fire drill one night. It’s important that they know what to do even if they are awakened from sound sleep.

  If you live in an apartment, practice getting everyone out. If the fire is in someone else’s apartment, make sure the kids know to feel the door to the hall before going out. If the door is hot, they shouldn’t open it. They should go out another way or leave the door closed and get to the window to let firefighters know they need a rescue. Most important, teach your children never to use the elevator if the fire alarm is going off.

• Don’t assume that older children will take care of younger ones in a fire situation. Older kids can panic and forget what they are supposed to do. Younger ones can get confused and not obey. Educate all of your children about what they need to do. Children as young as 3 can learn that when the smoke detector goes off, they need to get out of the house and yell for everyone else to do the same.
• Agree on a meeting place outside your home so you can see that everyone is safe.

Chances are you will never have to deal with a fire in your home. But playing the odds on this can have disastrous results. By keeping your home prepared and by providing children with the training they need to manage a fire emergency, you can help your children be fire-safe.

For more information about National Fire Prevention Week, see the web site for the National Fire Protection Association at www.nfpa.org. The site has links to games and classroom materials, more detail about what to do in case of fire than I could present here, instructions for helping disabled people evacuate safely, and an online quiz for checking your own fire safety savvy.

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 28 Sep 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.