To fire-proof kids, Choose Energy, a consumer-empowerment organization, offers these three additional tips.
- Watch out for electrical dangers. Remind kids never to stick anything into an electrical outlet, and cover any unused outlets. Also, keep an eye on kids in the kitchen, where electrical appliances, like toasters, can be enticing to explore with a fork or spoon. Kids must also learn to keep electrical appliances, like a hair dryer, away from water, like the sink or a full bathtub.
- Test your smoke alarms. Not only should you test your alarms regularly and replace the batteries every six months, but getting your kids used to the sound of a fire alarm going off will signal to them what to do next.
- What happens next. Do you have a fire escape plan in place? If not, do that now and run some drills so each child knows what to do and where to go. In addition, teach kids to “stop, drop, and roll” if their clothing catches fire to put the fire out. Also, tell children to “get out and stay out” if the fire alarm goes off. Only firefighters should enter a building that’s on fire.
Thanks to Choose Energy for the tips!