Resources from Mobile Concepts

Children should learn early what to do in case of fire

By Staff Reporter, Alexander City Outlook
 
Friday, July 8, 1994- Fire, along with smoke inhalation, kills hundred of children each year. Thousands more are permanently scarred.
 
The children’s Hospital of Alabama and the Alabama Chapter of the National Coalition to Prevent Childhood Injury want you to know more about burn prevention.
 
Fire fascinates children and, even if they know fire is dangerous, they are amazed by flames. For children ages 3-8, curiosity about matches and lighters is normal. More than one third of burns to children in this age range are the result of playing with matches.
 
Parents should teach young children that:

• Matches and lighters are tools for adults, not toys.
• If they play with matches or lighters, they can be badly burned and can hurt others.
• If they find matches or lighters, they should tell an adult the location right away.

Adults should store matches and lighters out of reach of young children.
 
Smoking is also a hazard, and people who smoke should do so with care. Adults who smoke while drinking alcohol or who fall asleep while smoking cause a large number of home fires that kill or injure children.
 
Children should be taught to do the following in a fire:

• Get our fast because seconds count! Phone for help from a neighbor’s home, not from inside a burning building.
• Crawl low, under the smoke.
• Test the door. If it’s hot or there’s smoke, use another way out.
• Once out, stay out. There’s nothing more important in your home than you. Children under age 5 are at greatest risk when fire strikes. They may panic and hid in closets or under beds. Young children need special help to escape. Plan a fire escape rout, using the guide below, and practice it.
  Draw a simple picture of your home.
• Plan two ways to get out of every room.
• Agree on an outside meeting place.
• Decide who’ll take charge of each child.
• Discuss the plan with your family.
• Practice an escape at night. That’s when most deadly fire occur.
• If you live in a high-rise building, show your child the shortest route to a safe exit. Warn against using the elevator.

Some children falsely believe their clothes will protect them from fire. Children age 3 and older should be shown what to do if their clothes catch fire. Practice the following with them:

• Stop. Running fans the flames, making fire burn faster. Shout – don’t run – for help.
• Drop to the floor. Cover your face.
• Roll back and forth to put out flames.
• Cool a burn with cool water.

Smoke can overwhelm a child or adult in minutes. Protect your family by installing smoke detectors outside all sleeping areas and on every level of your home. Test the detectors monthly with real smoke. Change batteries at least once a year – even if they are still working – and never remove batteries for other use.
 
Teach children about smoke detectors and let them help test the detectors, so they will recognize the alarm.

Return to Top