While many of us are aware of what to do in the event of a fire, we often overlook sharing this vital information with children in the home. They need to be taught how to prevent fires, and what to do if a fire breaks out to ensure their own safety. Here are some fire safety tips to share with your children. 

1. Teach your children about fire safety 

Remind them that every action they take must prioritise their safety at all costs. Talk to them about what happens when a fire starts, and why they must act quickly to prevent any risk to their lives. They must always be careful about open flames but explain the danger is not just about the flames, it’s also the smoke that can incapacitate them. 

2. Review basic safety precautions 

Go through the home and teach them about fire safety precautions. Remember that no child must use matches or lighters, and when they’re a bit older, they must double-check that all matches are properly extinguished. This means running it under water before throwing it in the bin. Other safety precautions to share with children include:

  • Not leaving burning incense or candles unattended around the house and being careful around them at all times. 
  • Not overplugging household devices as this can cause the appliances to short circuit, risking a fire. 
  • Keeping well away from fireplaces and other heat sources like stoves and ovens. With older children, remind them to always ensure the stove or oven is switched off. 

3. Show them how to escape from a burning building 

It’s important that you have a fire escape plan for the home which is practised for increased safety. There need to be two ways out of every room – a window or door – and then everyone must meet a safe distance from the home. They need to learn about getting out of a smoke-filled room, which means ‘get low and go’, and not to worry about gathering their favourite possessions – these can all be replaced. 

4. Explain what to do if they see a fire 

As soon as children see a fire, they need to understand the basic procedures. These include:

  • Get low to avoid the smoke and find the closest exit by crawling. 
  • If clothes catch fire, they need to know the ‘stop, drop, and roll’ procedure so that they prevent the fire from spreading. 
  • Don’t hide – as soon as there’s a fire, they need to get out as soon as possible. 
  • Leave everything behind as these will only cause risky delays and can be replaced. 
  • Never use the elevator in the case of a fire (for those living in apartments) but rather use the stairs to exit the building. 
  • Children need to know emergency numbers to call as soon as they’ve exited the burning building and are in the safe designated area. 

5. Make sure they know how to use a fire extinguisher 

Ensure that you have installed fire alarms throughout your house (as required by legislation) and that you check these regularly, replacing batteries every six months, and replacing the alarms every 10 years. In addition to this, it’s best to have a fire extinguisher in the home which you will need to teach your children how to use. This will also need to be serviced and replaced every few months. 

Fire safety should be top-of-mind for every family, particularly where there are young children in the house. Put your mind at ease by installing the best fire safety equipment supplied by Smoke Alarms Photoelectric.