Isolated at Home? Now is the Perfect Time to Teach Kids Fire Safety
 
March 29, 2020
 

With so many people self- quarantined at home with family during the COVID-19 crisis, parents of school-age children are looking for ways to keep kids engaged and learning. Rarely is there so much family "quality time" together, so this is the perfect time to review fire safety education as a family!

Start with a home escape plan: together with your children, walk through the entire house and discuss a fire escape plan. Take advantage of planning tools available from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to map out an escape route and meeting place with your family. Then practice that escape plan using your smoke detector in test mode -- help children understand how to exit safely, and how to get together with the family at a designated meeting place that is safely away from the home.
See: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Preparedness/Escape-planning

Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: While you are building a family escape plan, take a moment to check all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Follow NFPA guidelines on where to place detectors and assure batteries and detectors are up to date.
See: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-equipment/Smoke-alarms/Installing-and-maintaining-smoke-alarms

Get kids involved in learning: the NPFA has a number of effective learning tools for children, including coloring books, audio books and videos designed to get kids thinking about fire safety. Take advantage of these materials available on line, and involve children of all ages to learn about fire safety while the family is at home during the COVID situation. Re-enforce fire safety by discussing it as a topic as an entire family, and practice the lessons found in these materials -- like stop - drop - roll, and the family meeting place.
See: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Teaching-tools/Learn-not-to-burn and http://www.sparky.org/