Firefighters Burn Institute Youth Firesetters Program
Everyday Fire Safety Tips
Posted on by
Buy child-resistant lighters.
Keep all matches and lighters out of sight in a high, locked cabinet.
Teach children they must ask for parent permission before touching matches or lighters.
Children, as young as 8 years old, can be arrested for burning objects or causing a fire.
Children under 8 who use matches with parent supervision are 50 percent more likely to use matches later without the parent’s knowledge than children not allowed to use matches at all.
Never leave your young children unattended, not even for a couple of minutes. The youngest child in Sacramento history that used a bbq lighter and caused a house fire was 18 months old.
Show your children how to be fire safe: have working smoke detectors outside all sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
Allow your children to watch you test your detectors once a month by pushing the test button to make sure they are working. Replace smoke detectors after 10 years.
Plan and practice an escape plan with everyone in the household. Make sure there are two ways out of every room.
If you see fire or smoke, get out right away, crawling low under the smoke.
Have a meeting place outside, away from your home, where everyone can meet after escaping from the fire. Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor’s home.
Teach everyone to stop, drop and roll if his or her clothes catch fire.