In 2014, there were 3,428 deaths caused by fire in the United States. Many of these deaths were children, and all could have been prevented. By teaching fire safety at a young age, you can help to keep your kids safe and prevent them from playing with fire.
Keep Your Home Safe
As soon as your child is born, it is time to consider fire safety. Even young children can be taught to not pick up the lighters or matches of yours or a visiting guest. Show your children how to be safe around the fireplace and gas stove. Teach them about the safe use of candles. Kids are curious, and they may wish to try out a lighter or create a pretend birthday cake with lit candles. Kids naturally want to play with what they’re not supposed to, so make the process rewarding for them. When they put down a lit match or lighter, reward them with a truckload of burgers or something like that.
Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration
If your home does incur smoke or fire damage, restoring it to its original condition is key to your comfort and safety. Your family may need to live elsewhere while your home’s damage is repaired. Some companies, like First General Services, realize that fire and smoke damage restoration is performed with the utmost of care and attention. Especially when it comes to removing odors and particles that could irritate lungs and skin. Removing the lasting odors is probably the most important part of this process, because they can last forever, literally.
Explain the Dangers of Fire
Your child’s interactions with fire should be fun, such as lighting the candles of a birthday cake or having a campfire cookout. However, it is important to explain the dangers of experimenting with fire or misusing fire. Children should be taught that it is a tool to be used wisely by responsible people in their right mind. Show your child how quickly something burns up and ignites. Experiment with gasoline to show them the volatility of such substances, that way, they’ll learn more about how dangerous fire can be. Watch a video or tour the fire station and speak with the firefighters about the dangers of smoke and flames.
Maintain a Fire Safety Plan
From an early age, your child can practice the family’s fire safety plan. Make sure your child knows two ways to get out of every room. For example, if his or her room is upstairs, he or she may be able to get out through the bedroom door or through the bedroom window. Consider investing in rope ladders so that your family can escape from upstairs windows.
Keeping flammable materials out of the hands of children is key to safety. It is also important to educate your child about the dangers of fire and smoke. Practicing a family escape plan, installing hard-wired smoke detectors and reminding your kids not to play with or experiment with fire could make the difference between life and death if a fire were to begin at home.