Practicing Fire Safety with Children

7/28/2022 (Permalink)

Practice fire safety with your children!

Fire safety – both in the sense of preventing a fire from starting and knowing what to do in case of fire – is a very important lesson to begin learning at an early age.  Teaching your children about the dangers of fire, instructing on how to react when a fire does start, and making sure children understand the importance on fire safety is imperative.  So, what specifics can you focus on with your children?  Redcross.org suggests the following:

Prevent your Child from Starting Fires

• Keep matches, lighters, and other sources of fire ignition out of reach of children. Teach your children that these items are not toys.
• Monitor children around candles, cooking equipment, and other flame sources. Consider utilizing flameless candles vs. traditional.
• Instruct your children on the location of fire extinguishers. Make sure they understand how to operate the extinguisher.  Additional information on types of fire extinguishers and their operation can be found here: https://www.SERVPRObaycounty.com/blog/post/248179/fire-smoke-damage-restoration/fire-extinguisher-faqs

Help your Child Survive a Fire

• Install smoke alarms. Test your smoke alarms monthly and change batteries at least twice a year.  Make sure children understand WHAT the sound of the smoke alarm going off indicates, and how they should respond.
• Instruct children on how to evacuate in case of fire. This will include determining at least two exits from the building, practicing fire evacuation (at different times of day) regularly, and having a designated meeting spot outside of the structure.
• Depending on the features of your home, consider investing in specialized fire safety/escape equipment. This may include escape ladders for multiple story homes, or quick release devices for barred windows and doors.
• Teach your children to STOP, DROP, and ROLL if their clothing should catch on fire.

In the unfortunate event that a fire does occur, and damages the structure or contents of your home, know that SERVPRO of Bay County is Here to Help.  We will work diligently to clean, restore, and repair the damages, making it “Like it never even happened.”  For more information about our services, to request assistance, or to learn more about our team of professionals, please give us a call: 850-785-1077.