Fire safety is possibly the single most important thing that children learn in schools. Schools everywhere teach fire safety, but it's important to reinforce this knowledge at home on a regular basis. Here is an overview of some of the key principles of fire safety.
The primary safety tip is to always use a smoke-detector. It is not commonly known that the majority of deaths-by-fire are indeed caused by inhalation of smoke, not by burning. That is why it's important to have a smoke detector on over floor of your home and near every sleeping area. You want as much early warning as possible. But it is very very important to check every smoke detector at least once each month to double check that they are working properly. And even if the smoke-detectors may be working at the current moment, you should always take out the old batteries and insert new ones at least once a year to prevent surprise malfunction.
Another critical part of fire safety is to make a safety plan for the family and household. At school kids will learn an evacuation routine, but it's important to have one for your home as well. The mantra is "Be Prepared". Prepare a floor plan for your house, and choose at least 2 possible evacuation routes for each room. That gives you an alternative route in case one of them is blocked when you try to evacuate. It is also important to have a chosen meeting place outside away from the house, and to stay there and never go back into the house for any reason.
Another important point to teach children is that fire is not to be played with. Lighters and matches are for adults only. Adults should do their best to keep them out of the reach of children. Children should also be taught to avoid tossing things into the fire place and touching lit candles.
The above are a few of the important fire safety tips that children need to know about. But there are more. You should check with the local municipality and fire department for more comprehensive information. On top of that there are many online information sites that can be quickly and easily accessed from your own home. Just make sure that the information comes from a credible source.
