This year's theme for "fire prevention week" is "Practice Your Escape Plan". Many communities around the nation send a representative from the local fire house to the local elementary schools so children can meet a firefighter "up close", hear about staying safe in their home, and explore an actual fire truck (usually the younger grades, prek-2nd grade do this). The most important message for children: learn what to do if your home is on fire.
Around our house this time of year, we go over our emergency plan that we established when Courtney was 2. For the last 12 years we remind her and go over the plan of what to do and where to go if our house is on fire. We know which exits to leave from and we practice by pretending that various areas of the house are on fire. We go over the "stop, drop, and roll" method to reinforce what to do if their clothing catches fire. Tonite we will practice what to do if the stairs are on fire and the front door is blocked. (basically we would have to escape out a bedroom window as we only have one entrance to the 2nd floor). We have a meeting place outside our house, 4 houses down, at neighbors. We chose a neighbor who has an easy identifiable marking: a brick driveway. They are the only ones who have this kind of driveway in our neighborhood and my children know the mom as she is also their emergency person if the schools close early and I am not at home.
Take the time to teach your child(ren) what to do in a fire emergency. Keep it simple if your child is under age 4. It is easy to teach them without scaring them. We have always stressed "get out fast". We stress each year not to try to gather up favorite items but to just get out the door. We taught them in their preschool years to crawl out fast if there is alot of smoke. We taught them by age 3 to go next door to our neighbors and have them dial 9-1-1. We have practied doing this and they are older now and are very calm about it. We always end our sessions by praying for our safety, our neighbors' safety and for the very brave firefighters that serve our community.
What do you do to teach your children what to do in a fire? Keep in mind that if you are like us, with a teenager who is now your babysitter, that she or he also knows what to do if parents are not at home and there is a fire. My oldest rolls her eyes but at least she know what to do....hopefully and prayerfully she will never have to put into actual practice what we have been pretending all these years....but....it is best to be prepared!
Know your escape plan and make sure your children know.
Have a meeting place.
Check all your smoke alarms. There should be one on each level of your home (along with a carbon monoxide detector).
and Pray!
Around our house this time of year, we go over our emergency plan that we established when Courtney was 2. For the last 12 years we remind her and go over the plan of what to do and where to go if our house is on fire. We know which exits to leave from and we practice by pretending that various areas of the house are on fire. We go over the "stop, drop, and roll" method to reinforce what to do if their clothing catches fire. Tonite we will practice what to do if the stairs are on fire and the front door is blocked. (basically we would have to escape out a bedroom window as we only have one entrance to the 2nd floor). We have a meeting place outside our house, 4 houses down, at neighbors. We chose a neighbor who has an easy identifiable marking: a brick driveway. They are the only ones who have this kind of driveway in our neighborhood and my children know the mom as she is also their emergency person if the schools close early and I am not at home.
Take the time to teach your child(ren) what to do in a fire emergency. Keep it simple if your child is under age 4. It is easy to teach them without scaring them. We have always stressed "get out fast". We stress each year not to try to gather up favorite items but to just get out the door. We taught them in their preschool years to crawl out fast if there is alot of smoke. We taught them by age 3 to go next door to our neighbors and have them dial 9-1-1. We have practied doing this and they are older now and are very calm about it. We always end our sessions by praying for our safety, our neighbors' safety and for the very brave firefighters that serve our community.
What do you do to teach your children what to do in a fire? Keep in mind that if you are like us, with a teenager who is now your babysitter, that she or he also knows what to do if parents are not at home and there is a fire. My oldest rolls her eyes but at least she know what to do....hopefully and prayerfully she will never have to put into actual practice what we have been pretending all these years....but....it is best to be prepared!
Know your escape plan and make sure your children know.
Have a meeting place.
Check all your smoke alarms. There should be one on each level of your home (along with a carbon monoxide detector).
and Pray!
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