Fire Prevention for Big Kids At Home
Big kids are curious about fire. Teaching your children about the hazards of playing with matches and other flammable materials, as well as practicing a fire escape route with your family, can help prevent accidents and injuries. Fires resulting from children’s play are the leading cause of residential fire-related death and injury among children ages 9 and under.
Also, many children are scared by fire, and they may hide or act irrationally, making escape unlikely. Planning and practicing a fire escape route with your family and talking to your children about what to expect in a fire are simple steps anyone can take. A prepared child is more likely to escape unharmed.
 Top Tips
In the kitchen:
- Don’t wear loose-fitting clothing in the kitchen.
- Never leave the kitchen unattended while cooking, and never leave a child alone while cooking.
- Keep anything that can catch fire (like dish towels or wooden spoons) away from your stovetop.
In the bedroom:
- Install smoke alarms in and outside of every sleeping area and test smoke alarms monthly.
- Teach children what to do when they hear the sound of the smoke alarm.
- Crawl low under smoke
- Touch doors before opening them; if the door is hot, use another exit
- Never go back into a burning building; children should be reminded not to stop or return for anything, such as a toy or to call 9-1-1
- Upon leaving the burning building, children whose clothes have caught fire should immediately stop, drop to the ground and roll back and forth quickly to extinguish the flames
Around the house:
- Practice an escape plan with your child.
- Teach young children not to play with matches or lighters. Lock up matches and lighters out of their sight and reach.
- Keep all portable heaters out of children’s reach and at least 3 feet away from flammable objects.
- Avoid plugging several appliance cords into the same electrical socket.
- Keep children away from candles and other open flames.
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Safety Tools
There are many tools that parents can use to help to keep their big kids safe from injuries. Many of them are affordable and can be found at many stores.
What you'll need:
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Smoke alarms |
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