Reducing the risk for children
Did you know that fires account for nearly half of all accidental child deaths?
Or that 6,000 fires a year are caused by children under the age of 10? As a parent you always want to make sure your children are safe. This includes teaching them how to prevent a fire and what to do if there is one.
Make fire safety fun education, you will probably need to talk to children more than once, to make sure that they have remembered and understood what you have taught them. Practise with the children stop, drop and roll and your escape plan.
What could you do to make your children safer?
- keep things that can cause fire out of reach of children, especially matches, lighters & candles out of reach of children
- place lighted candles and tea lights out of reach of children
- consider getting plug guards to cover sockets
- make sure electrical appliances (TV’s and computers) in children’s bedrooms are switched off at night
- fit a childproof guard in front of open fires or heaters – the best ones can be fixed to the wall
- make sure children don’t play near fires or heaters to avoid them getting burnt
- do not leave children unsupervised in kitchens as they can be a dangerous place for children
- avoid using the front of the hob when small children are around
- make sure the saucepan handles don’t stick out to avoid them being knocked over
- make sure you have working smoke alarms
- have an escape plan
- plan an escape route and make sure the children and childminders or babysitters know it
- practise the plan together with the children
- be careful to keep all exits clear
- think about how you would get out if your escape route is blocked
- keep door and window keys where childminders and babysitters can find them
What could you teach your child to make them safer?
Never touch or play with:
- matches
- lighters
- candles
- electrical appliances
- or sockets
What should your children do in the event of a fire?
Tell them the following so they know what to do in the event of a fire:
- if you see smoke or flames tell a grown-up straight away
- get out of the building as quickly as you can if there is a fire
- don’t go back in for anything, even toys or pets
- find a phone - you might need to go to the neighbours to find one
- call 999 – ask for the Fire and Rescue Service and tell them your address (you might want to practise making this call with the children and will need to make sure they know their address)
- only call 999 in a real emergency
- never hide if there is a fire – get out as quickly as you can
- if there’s smoke, crawl along the floor - the air will be clearer down there
- go into a room with a window if the way out is blocked
- put bedding or towels along the bottom of the door to stop smoke getting in
- open the window and call “help fire”
if their clothes catch fire teach them
- Stop – don’t run around, you’ll make the flames worse
- Drop – Lie down and roll around. It makes it harder for the fire to spread
- Roll – Smother the flames with a heavy material, like a coat or blanket
