Fire Safety Tips for Parents

7/26/2021 (Permalink)

Do not let young children near open flames.

Parental Fire Safety Tips

In a home fire, you have under five minutes to escape. If a fire occurs at your home in Columbia, TN your first thought is your kids’ safety. Imagine the terror of running room to room searching for them. Now, instead visualize your children prepared for this emergency situation. When you teach your kids about fire escape, you save precious moments that can make a difference.

Prevent

The best way to ensure your kids’ safety is to prevent a fire from happening in the first place:

• Do not let young children near open flames. This includes fireplaces, grills, fire pits, candles and stovetops.
• Keep flammable liquids and incendiary sources, such as lighters and matches, out of reach of children.

Prepare

In a fire, be alerted quickly and have a plan of escape:

• At minimum, keep one functioning smoke detector at each floor of your house, especially in or near the bedrooms. Test the detector monthly while your children are home so they recognize and understand the meaning of the alarm. Change the batteries twice per year.
• Create a fire escape plan. Find two ways out of each room and agree on an outdoor meet up place. Get escape ladders for the second floor.
• Teach your children how to call 911.

Practice

Practice techniques to evacuate your home efficiently if necessary:

• Twice a year, run through the fire escape plan with your children.
• Practice how to stop, drop and roll if clothing catches on fire.
• Have your kids practice staying low in a fire. This includes rolling off of the bed and crawling on the floor.
• Rehearse checking doors for heat and closing them as you go.
• Repeat, “Get out, stay out,” when practicing to emphasize the importance of not returning inside of the house once out

Prevent, prepare and practice to ensure your kids’ safety in the event of a home fire in Columbia, TN. Once you and your children are safe from harm, make a plan to restore the damage to your home by contacting fire restoration specialist and insurance agent as soon as possible.