Chances are your kids have come home with fire safety colouring books after firefighters visited their class or daycare; they?ve practised fire drills and maybe they?ve even gone on a field trip to the local fire station. But do you actually try out the stuff they?ve learned at home" Here?s what you need to know to help keep your family safe.
1. Think like a kid
?Kids have a fair bit of experience with fire, but usually with very small flames that are easy to put out, like birthday candles, so they have overconfidence in their ability to handle it,? says Robert Cole, a fire safety educator in New York. He adds that fire is often a big part of family celebrations?in addition to lighting candles for birthdays and religious holidays, there are sparklers, campfires and barbecues?so kids associate it with fun and excitement. He?s not suggesting that you skip any of these things, but rather recognize how kids can be confused when they get mixed messages about fire. Kids six and under just aren?t cognitively capable of understanding complicated cause and effect (like how a knocked-over candle can ignite the napkins and then the tablecloth and then the curtains) and how fast fire can spread, he says. Regardless of their age, the message should be that matches, lighters and candles are grown-up tools. ?The grown-up?s job is to use them safely and put them away properly, and the kid?s job is to come and tell the parent if we leave matches or lighters out,? he explains.
2. Check ...