October is Fire Safety Month

House fires are devasting! These unexpected disasters impact around 346,800 households every year in the United States. The largest spike in house fires occurs at the end of October in the United States. This may be why October is National Fire Safety Month. At Kids ‘R Kids Avalon Park, we will be honoring Fire Safety Month by teaching the kids in our care the importance of fire alarms today, October 22nd. They will also get the chance to see a fire engine in person on October 27th. You can participate in Fire Safety Month at home by teaching your kid about fire prevention and safety.

Fire Prevention Tips

No child is too young to learn about fire safety and prevention. In fact, children under the age of five are the most at risk of injury or death from a house fire. You can protect them by:

• Teaching them that fire is a tool, not a toy. Explain that fires are hot with temperatures that can reach 600 degrees, fast with the ability to turn into a dangerous blaze in 30 seconds, dark with thick black smoke that can make it hard to see and breath, and deadly.
• Emphasizing that they should not play with lighters or matches. To protect them, you should store lighters and matches out of their sight and reach. The best place being a locked cabinet. When you buy lighters, be sure to choose ones with child-resistant features.
• Showing them how to keep a safe distance from a blazing fireplace, hot stove, or burning candles. They should never be left alone by any one of these.
• Familiarizing them with the sound of your fire alarm. You should have fire alarms on every level of your home, especially in bedrooms and the kitchen. You should test them and replace the batteries at least once a year. It’s crucial to familiarize your kids with the sound it makes. If they don’t recognize the sound of your fire alarm, they might freeze when it goes off instead of getting out of the house.

Fire Preparedness Tips

Few people like to plan for disaster but teaching your child how to respond if there is a fire could save their life.

• Teach your child to stop, drop, and roll. Let your child know if their clothes ever catch on fire, they should stop, drop, and roll. Practicing this is a fun way to help them remember this lifesaving tip.
• Create a fire escape plan. Show your kids at least two ways they can exit any room. Let them know where you should meet up outside if they ever have to escape from a fire. It should be a location that’s a safe distance from your house.
• Practice your fire escape plan twice a year. Have a fire drill with your family. It’s a good idea to practice at night and during the day. If you have a second or third floor, you may want to invest in escape ladders to store near windows in sleeping areas. Be sure to include them in your practice.
• Teach them to get low and crawl through smoke. Breathing in the toxic gases fire produces is a leading cause of injuries and fatalities from house fires. Teach your children to cover their mouth and nose, stay low, and crawl to escape a fire can reduce their risk of breathing in toxic fumes and smoke.
• Make sure they’ve memorized 9-1-1. Be sure they know to call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency like a fire. This is also a good time to let them know that only a professional firefighter should ever enter a burning house. Emphasize that they should never go back into the house if there is a fire. Not even to save a pet, family member, or prized possession.

Participating in Fire Safety Month is a reminder that fire safety and preparedness saves lives. That’s why we incorporate it into our monthly events calendar at Kids ‘R Kids Avalon Park. We hope you’ve found this fire safety guide helpful. If you’d like more fire safety tips or resources, check out the Red Cross tip sheet!