We want our future generations to be knowledgable about fire safety so that if they ever find themselves in a hazardous situation, they will know what to do. We’ve compiled some safety tips and tricks that you can teach your children so they will be fire ready. 

• Smoke alarms are the most effective way to stay safe in your home, so make sure they are working properly. This provides a great opportunity to teach your kids how to replace the batteries and how to check if the alarm is working. 
• Once you’ve check your smoke alarms, you can go over a fire escape plan with your children and what to do if the smoke alarm goes off. Establishing a route and practicing it will give them the confidence to get out of the house safely in the event of a real fire. 
• Teach your kids to never play with matches or fireworks.
• When you have candles burning, teach your children to keep them away from flammable objects and to never leave candles burning unattended. 
• When cooking, always turn the handles of the hot pots/pans inward to decrease risk of your child grabbing and pulling hot substances down onto them.
• Have a plan! Practice feeling the door, doorknob with the back of your hand to see if they are too hot. Establish two ways out of your house in case one exit is blocked by fire.
  • Its important to know that if you cannot get out of your house safely, call 911 immediately, keep smoke out of the room by covering the vents and the cracks around the door – then signal out of your window for help. 

Teaching your children ways to be fire safe and then putting that into practice could be the difference between life and death. If you have any questions, as always, feel free to reach out to your friends at the Carbondale Fire District.