Fire Safety for Kids

I hear the words "fire in the mountain, run, run, run" and begin to reminisce about carefree summer days. It's a game we all loved, but a single thought of being confronted with an actual fire and I feel an icy hand clamping down upon my heart. An out-of-control fire is a scary eventuality to be faced with.

Any calamity, whether natural or man-made can be very traumatic and scarring (literally) for anyone, especially children. During catastrophes, most kids react in ways detrimental to their safety. A common reaction is to hide, trapping the child and making rescue nearly impossible. If your child's safety is your greatest concern, then it is not enough to just teach your child not to speak to a stranger: it is also essential that you impart basic disaster management training to him/her. A top-priority area in this, is to train children regarding certain precautions, which reduce the likelihood of a fire - because prevention is always better than cure. There are several places where a fire may break out and trap your child. It could happen at school, at the mall or in your home.

Fire Safety - Preventive Measures

As your home is a controlled environment, you can plan and prepare for prevention of fires. In any home, the kitchen is the place where most fires break out. Here are a few fire safety measures for kitchens:

• Never allow young children to cook unsupervised.
• Ensure that the knobs of a stove are out of the reach of kids.
• To avoid pans from being knocked over, always keep their handles facing the center of the stove.
• Keep matches and lighters away from the reach of kids.
• Your children's favorite treats, such as cookies, must not be placed on shelves above the stove. Should they try to reach for it, they may start the burners or set their clothes on fire.

There are a few other fire safety details you need to incorporate into your home. Do not allow children to start a fire in a fireplace without adult supervision. Ensure you keep matches, lighters, gasoline or other flammable liquids out of the reach of your kids. It is also important for all the members of the family to know where the fire extinguisher is kept and how to use it. All emergency phone numbers must be listed and placed next to the phone.

All wise and well prepared parents have an escape plan in place. An essential part of your escape plan is to identify an emergency exit in EVERY room of the house. It could be a window or a second door. If it is a window, ensure that the children can open it by themselves. Also plan and make arrangements for the person using the emergency exit to reach the ground. Decide on a meeting place where the entire family can gather once they've exited the house.

Fire Safety Measures - Dealing with a Fire Break-out

It is a good practice to run mock escape drills, so everyone becomes familiar with the process. This will help tremendously in the event of a fire, as consequently the lights often go out. Here are a few tips in the event of a fire breaking out:

• It is a good practice for each member of the family to get used to sleeping with the door closed, as it discourages the rapid spread of a fire.
• If you were to wake up and find that a fire had broken out, start yelling out "fire" to alert the others.
• You should call out and inform your parents that you are alright.
• Don't hide under the bed or in the closet.
• Before opening the door, it is very important to check it. Test the top with the back of your palm and only open it, if it is cool.
• If it is hot, take the predetermined emergency exit.
• Never stop to take anything with you.
• Once you are out of the house, head to the meeting place decided by the family and then call 911.
• Never go back into your house, while it is still on fire.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to get out safely. These are the steps to follow if you are trapped in your room:

• If the room is filling with smoke, use a wet towel to block the space at the bottom of the door.
• If the room fills with smoke, keep close to the floor where you can breathe more easily.
• If your clothes catch fire, don't start running. Instead you must immediately lie on the floor or ground and roll around to extinguish the flames.

If you live in an apartment, the exit process differs slightly. The most important thing to remember is never to take the elevator, but to always take the stairs. If you are trapped in your apartment or room, call 911 and carefully follow their instructions. Try to block all openings, from where smoke may enter, with wet towels. Hang a blanket or towel from the window, to indicate that you are there and need to be rescued.

For most parents, nothing ranks over the safety of their children. Thus, even if you have to drag your kids away from the TV, or cut into homework time, do take them step by step through these measures. It is time well spent and may, one day save their lives.