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Curious
Kids Set Fires: A Factsheet for Teaching Children Fire
Safety
Presented courtesy of the
United States Fire Administration
Curious
Kids Set Fires
- Children
under five are curious about fire. Often what begins
as a natural exploration of the unknown can lead to
tragedy.
- Children
of all ages set over 100,000 fires annually. Approximately
25,000 of those fires are set in homes.
- Children
make up between 20% - 25% of all fire deaths.
- Over 30%
of the fires that kill children are set by children
playing with fire.
- At home,
children usually play with fire in bedrooms, in closets
and under beds. These are "secret" places where there
are a lot of things that catch fire easily.
- Too often,
child firesetters are not given proper guidance and
supervision by parents and teachers. Consequently,
they repeat their firesetting behavior.
Practice
Fire Safety in Your Home
- Keep matches and lighters in a secured drawer or
cabinet. Have your children tell you when they find
matches and lighters.
- Check under beds and in closets for burned matches,
evidence your child may be playing with fire.
- Develop a home fire escape plan, practice it with
your children and designate a meeting place outside.
- Teach children the nature of fire. It is FAST, HOT,
DARK and DEADLY!
- Teach children not to hide from firefighters, but
to get out quickly and call for help from another
location.
- Show children how to crawl low on the floor, below
the smoke, to get out of the house and stay out in
the case of fire.
- Demonstrate how to stop, drop to the ground and
roll if their clothes catch fire.
- Install smoke alarms on every level in your home.
- Familiarize children with the sound of your smoke
alarm.
- Test the smoke alarm each month and replace the
battery at least once a year.
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