FIRE SAFETY KIDS: 10 tips with essential advice for parents and child carers.
This guide helps you teach small children fire safety rules and prevention.
Let’s face it – young children learn most by your example. So it’s important they see their parents and guardians being sensible about fire risks.
Fire safety rules at home start in the kitchen. Make sure your kids watch you using safe cooking methods with naked flames.
Do not overlook or underestimate the extra dangers of lit wax candles.
This guide is the fire safety tips for children and youngsters version. You can also check out the 10 fire prevention rules adults guide.
The UK Rules Fire Safety for Kids section is where you find helpful information on how to talk to children about fires. We also cover the procedures for burn prevention with ‘child friendly‘ explanations of what kids should do to escape fires.
The often tragic combination of fire and children results in one of the most common causes of accidental injury. Sadly, death among babies and young children is another consequence. Teach your kids what to do and how!
Kids are instinctively drawn to the warmth and light of glowing blaze. Without proper guidance from parents that often materializes into a dangerous fascination with fires.
Children + Fire = Danger
Educating Children about Fires
Children under five years need clear instructions about what they should and should not do. As a rule, developing a few simple dos and don’ts is enough for toddlers to accept and understand.
Fire safety information for kids is best done when parents lead by example. Older children usually respond best when they understand why you are enforcing fire prevention rules.
Fire safety is a subject that may need explaining more than once as they grow up and develop attitudinal behavior.
Be sure and reinforce house safety regulations so they will remember and respect the ground rules you have taught them.
10 Fire Safety Rules for Children
Parents and childminders should follow these ten tips and instructions to guide your little ones away from harm. Everyone handling child safety should learn these simple fire prevention tips for kids.
1. Install Smoke Detectors
The first of our kids fire safety tips is about detection. Smoke detectors can – and do – save children’s lives. As parents, make sure you install smoke detectors on every floor.
The most important rooms are the sleeping areas of your home. Be sure to show your kids the location of all smoke detectors and how they work.
2. Fire Alarm Test
You should test your smoke detectors every month. It is important that everyone in your family is familiar with the piercing sound the devices make. They need to understand that this sound means danger. Teach them how to escape quickly and safely.
3. Smoke Alarm Batteries
When you change the time on your clocks for Daylight Savings it can be a pertinent reminder. That is also a good time to change all smoke alarm batteries.
Fresh batteries inside your smoke alarm means it will stay awake and watch for fire while you and your family are sleeping.
4. Open Fire Safety Rules: Matches, Lighters, Fireworks
Children should never play with sparklers and fireworks, matches, lighters, or lighted candles. Teach them not to leave toys near a heater or on top of it.
Encourage your kids to tell a grown up right away if they see matches or a lighter where they can reach them. If you have an open fire or heater put a child-proof fireguard in front it.
5. Don’t Hide – Go Outside!
Fires are especially scary for children. Teach your kids about the dangers of hiding in closets or beneath their bed. Make them understand that in case of fire – don’t hide but go outside!
6. Fire Escape Plan
Develop your specific fire escape plan and practice it regularly with all your family. You should include childminders and babysitters in the fire drill.
Try to create two ways of leaving every room in case fire or smoke blocks the route. But, you should practice escaping by both routes. Ensure windows are not stuck and doors screens can be quickly removed.
7. Fall and Crawl
Dropping to the ground and crawling outside makes it easier to escape during a fire. Breathing through smoke is less harmful if you stay low while getting out. Before you open any doors use the back of your hand to test if it is hot and if so, try to use another exit route.
8. Fire Safety Rules for Kids UK: Stop, Drop, and Roll
Stop, Drop, and Roll if your clothes are burning until the fire is out. Shout for help, but do not run because running rapidly makes fire burn faster.
9. The Meeting Place
Designate a meeting place outside where everyone should gather after escaping the blaze. The meeting place can be a large tree away from the building or a similar point of contact the end of the driveway.
Never return into a burning building for any reason whatsoever. Firefighters have training and equipment to rescue people if you think someone is missing.
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10. Local Emergency Number
The basic rules for fire safety information for kids also includes grownups. Everyone in the household should know the number for activating the local emergency services (EMS) or Fire and Rescue Service. Call the fire department from a neighbor’s phone if necessary and try to give them the address slowly and calmly.
Note: Place stickers with emergency numbers on every telephone in the house. You can do something similar with fridge magnets.