Kids Fire Safety

Fire safety is a parent's responsibility. Schools teach fire safety to children occasionally and run periodic drills, but it is up to a parent to reiterate and reinforce fire safety at home. Knowing how to keep your home and child safe from a blaze is a good first step towards preventing the unthinkable.

Statistics

• Children make up 85 percent of the fatalities due to residential fires, according to the Children's Hospital in Boston. Seventy-five percent of the fatalities are a result of smoke inhalation, not the flames. Children's Hospital also reports the leading cause of fire-related deaths and injuries in children under the age of 9 is carelessness. In addition, over 50 percent of children that die from a fire were under the age of 6. Thirty percent of these children were too young to have been able to escape on their own. KidsHealth.org states cigarettes are the number one cause of fire-related deaths in North America.

Prevent

• Prevention is one of the most important keys to kids' fire safety. Parents can prevent fires by making sure all electric equipment in a home works well and do not have frayed or loose chords. Keep lamps away from curtains and other cloth materials, and make sure the bulbs in light fixtures are the correct wattage. When using a space heater, keep it 3 feet away from walls and other household items. Never leave a kitchen stove unattended while cooking, and keep fire extinguishers in different locations throughout a home.

Educate

• Children often play with flammable objects without knowing how dangerous their actions are, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Tell children to not to play with matches and lighters; keep these objects out of their reach. Do not let them light candles or use a gas stove without adult supervision, and teach kids how to be safe around heaters and fireplaces. Children also need to know about the dangers of playing with fireworks. Teach them how to use age-appropriate fireworks safely.

  Along with teaching about fire dangers and prevention, teach children what to do in the case of a fire. Show them how to crawl under smoke and how to "stop, drop and roll" in the event their clothes catch on fire. Also, demonstrate how they should test a door and doorknob before opening it.

Plan an Escape

• Plan escape routes in your home; make sure your child knows how to get to escape to safety. KidsHealth.org reports that kids have to know how to escape a burning house at night, when visibility may be low. Run drills with your child that allows him or her to practice going through the escape routes and learn what to do if one of the routes is blocked. The New York Department of State advises all escape routes should always end at a designated meeting spot outside of the home (like at a mailbox or a neighbor's driveway).

Prepare

• Develop an emergency disaster kit and plan with a child so you are prepared should the unthinkable happen. The American Red Cross advises your kit and plan should include detailed instructions of the emergency escape routes, a flashlight, list of important phone numbers, information about all the members of the household (cell phone numbers, medications they take and known allergies), a first aid kit, supplies for pets and an extra set of house and car keys. Keep the kit in a vehicle, near a door or at a neighbor's home. Do not risk your life and safety to retrieve your emergency kit in the event of a fire.