October is Fire Safety Month

Now is the time to discuss fire safety with the kids in your household. Despite the obvious rule of never playing with lighters and matches, fires are started every year by unsupervised kids playing with these items, often with tragic results. Even though adults know these dangerous things should be kept out the reach of children, they often are not, so take time to warn kids about the hazards. Remind them of the dangers of hot items on the stove and in the oven. If  indoor ceramic heaters are used, tell them about the dangers of keeping things too close to them. Candles are so attractive, but they are so very dangerous. Make sure children know never to touch them or put other objects close to them. Along with this, don't forget to review what to do if they see a fire or hear the smoke detector go off, especially at night. Practice the "get low and go" rule by crawling to the door, in order to avoid deadly smoke as well as "stop, drop and roll" if ever their clothes should catch fire. Have a designated meeting place outside in a safe place away from the house and remind them NEVER to reenter the house to retreive any item or pet. Let them practice making a 911 emergency call on a play telephone and show them where it is on your cell phone. Make sure they know their address and ask them to repeat it throughout the year to practice. If possible, have a few neighbors houses designated as places to go to make the 911 calls if no cell phone is available. All these things take only a few minutes of your time, but can make the difference between life and death. 
Here are a few websites for more information and games for kids to play to help them learn fire safety.
Fire Safety for Kids, and the United States Fire Administration.