October is National Fire Prevention Month! This makes for the perfect time to educate the whole family on fire safety!
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Make it safe!
- Three of every five home fire deaths are in homes without working smoke detectors! First thing on our safety checklist is to make sure there are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home and in every bedroom. We have these installed because they detect both smoke and carbon monoxide.
If you already have the recommended number of detectors in your home, make sure you test the batteries! There is a test button on the outside of the detectors. It’s also worth noting that detectors need to be replaced every ten years, so check the dates on yours as well!
- Less than 50% of homeowners have a home escape plan in place! If your family doesn’t have an escape plan, be sure to make one today. In our home, we have fire escape ladders in every upstairs bedroom closet. My husband and I have an evacuation plan to get ourselves, both kids, and the dog safely outside. Once outside, we have an evacuation meeting place as well. As our kids get older, we’ll teach them the evacuation plan and practice getting out of the house and going to our meeting spot. October 13th is National Home Fire Drill Day!
- Cooking is the number one cause of house fires! It is important to have fire extinguishers on every level of your home, with an additional extinguisher in the kitchen and in the garage. We have these in each bedroom closet with the escape ladders, in the kitchen, basement, and garage.
- A great way to keep fire from spreading easily in your home is to eliminate clutter. Spend ten minutes after the kids go to bed and clear up some clutter-collecting spots in your home.
- I know you already cleaned out your dryer vent when I shared my to-do list for fall (right?!) but if you haven’t, do it now.
Make it fun!
- Round up your fire truck toys (this one is most like our favorite) and dress-up clothes (we like this set)– make learning about fire safety fun!
- Call your town fire department and see if they’re allowing for tours and visitors, or bake some cookies to drop by with your thanks.
- Download some fire safety coloring and activity pages to do as a family while discussing how to keep your family safe from fire and prevent fires in your home.
- There are all sorts of TV episodes and YouTube videos discussing fire safety, from Blippi to Daniel Tiger!
- Practice staying low to the ground in case of smoke by crawling and wiggling on bellies!
Keeping your family safe can seem like a 24/7 job, I know! Taking some steps to safeguard your home from fire and teaching your children fire safety can go a long way in protecting your family!
What is something you’re doing this month to emphasize fire safety in your family?
Kim says
These are such great tips! Thank you! Reading this I realized we haven’t reviewed our plan in a while and really should do that more frequently as our kids ages and abilities change.
Caroline says
I’m so glad you found this helpful, Kim! Thanks for sharing!
Mary says
Hold on, I gotta go clean out my dryer vent!! Thanks for these tips! We have ladders in our upstairs playroom but NOT every bedroom…gonna think on that.
Caroline says
Way to go, Mary! Thanks for sharing!
Kristin says
I’m so glad I read this today! We are woefully unprepared in case of a fire (we literally only have smoke detectors). Going to get some fire ladders and extinguishers now! Thanks, momma!
Caroline says
I’m so pleased you found it helpful, Kristin! Here’s to being fire-safe!
April says
This is my reminder to clean out the dryer vent! Definitely need to review our plan with our daughter as she is getting older and able to manage more independently. Thanks for sharing life-saving tips!
Caroline says
I’m so glad you found it helpful, April! Thanks for reading!
Chelsea says
My kids are in Scouts and as one of their requirements, they have to draw up an escape plan for emergencies. So we’ve practiced it a few times but not enough. I also need a fire extinguisher near the kitchen. These are great reminders!
Caroline says
What an amazing requirement for Scouts! It’s something so simple yet so important. Thank you for sharing, Chelsea!