Kids and Fire Safety

8/1/2022 (Permalink)

Home fires can start quickly, and spread at an incredible rate.  Studies have shown that once a smoke detector goes off in your home, you only have about 2 minutes to get out safely! When you have young children in the house, that thought can be overwhelming and frightening.  Altho we cannot always prevent a fire from starting, there are things we can do to help our families get out safely if a fire occurs.

Working Smoke Detectors/Alarms are of utmost importance!! Altho you only have about 2 minutes to escape once the alarm sounds, smoke detectors in the home have been shown to reduce fire-related deaths by 50%.  Considering half of all home fires occur between 11PM – 7AM, when most folks are sleeping, a working smoke detector sounding the alarm can make all the difference. As well as with so many fires starting during the night time, it is a good idea to have working alarms in each bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home. For the best protection, install interconnected smoke alarms. This way, when one goes off, they all sound.  Practice a few times with the alarm actually sounding, to ensure that your child is not afraid of the sound, and that they know what they should do when they hear the alarm

Also, practice escaping out of every room of your home.  Make a game of it, see how many different ways you can get out to your designated ‘safe space’ and meeting area. Even have your kids help draw a map of your different escape routes. They will have fun. Drawing a map also helps ingrain it into their minds, making them more likely to remember what to do in the event of an actually fire.

Teach kids to not play with matches and lighters.  Make a habit of storing these items up and out of reach of young children. Teach children that if they happen to find a match or lighter, to take it to a trusted adult immediately!

Fires can be devastating, and sadly, we cannot completely fire-proof our world.   But just a little bit of planning can make a big difference for your family. And if you ever do experience a fire, do not hesitate to call upon your Fire Restoration Specialists at SERVPRO! We are always here to help.