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Fire safety is important year-round, and the warm summer months give us great opportunities to talk with children about how to stay safe around events involving fire. Birthday candles, campouts, Independence Day celebrations, cookouts, and bonfires are all ways fire is used to celebrate. This is one of the reasons why young children can be confused about fire safety messaging because their first exposure to fire is often centered around a fun family activity.
Children’s Mercy has these tips and more for celebrating Independence Day with fire safety in mind.
- Always have a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher nearby.
- Know how to operate a fire extinguisher properly.
- Stand several feet away from lit fireworks.
- If a firework does not go off, do not stand over it to investigate. Pour water on it and dispose of the remains.
- Consider wearing both eye and hearing protection around fireworks.
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind throughout the year:
- Keep children at least three feet away from anything that can get hot. Space heaters and stovetops can cause terrible burns.
- Keep smoking materials locked up in a high place. Never leave cigarette lighters or matches where children can reach them.
- Never play with lighters or matches when you are with your children. Children may try to do the same things they see you do.
- When you do use matches or a lighter in front of children, remind them about the safety rules – only adults can use these items even if they look like fun.
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Teach children to come and tell you if they see matches or a lighter where they can reach them. It is important that they don’t pick up the items and bring them to you. Children can get distracted easily, and once the items are in their hands, they might be tempted to play with them before bringing them to you. A great book to help teach this is “Mikey Makes a Mess,” by Carolyn Kourofsky.
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SafetyKay has a video you can watch with your children to talk about fire prevention and what to do in case of a fire.
Sesame Street has a fire safety program for preschool children and is free for child care programs. If your child attends preschool or full-day child care, you may want to pass this great resource to your child’s teacher.
Wishing you a cool and safe summer!
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