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Our local community was recently rocked by the deaths of two young boys in a tragic house fire, which made me think long and hard about fire safety. It also made me realize just how much assumed knowledge there is in the world, and how easy it can be to overlook.
I grew up going to a public school, where we had regular fire drills and fire safety weeks. We had visits from fire fighters so that we knew what they would look like in their gear and not be afraid. We learned to stop, drop, and roll and practiced in the classroom.
None of these are experiences my children have because they are homeschooled. But since it neither falls clearly into the category of academics nor into the life skills/living in a family category, fire safety just didn’t come onto my radar until this tragedy. So just in case you are in the same boat, here are some things that we are doing to educate our kids:
Make a Plan
We’ve made a family escape plan. If there is a fire the kids now know that they need to run out of the nearest door. If it’s the front door, they will go directly to the big tree on the edge of our yard. If they go out the back door, they know to go to their play house at the other end of the backyard.
Make it Explicit
We have had direct conversations with our kids about what will happen in a fire. We’ve talked about how hard it is to lose our belongings, and have acknowledged that we know it will be difficult for them to want to leave their things, but that they are under no circumstances to go back for anything or take anything with them. We have assured them (which is most helpful for our G, who struggles with anxiety) that we absolutely will replace everything that they love.
We have also told them explicitly that they are to run out of the house right away, whether or not Mommy or Daddy are with them. Their job is to get themselves out as quickly as possible.
Run through Scenarios
We’ve had a lot of “what if” conversations. What if you’re upstairs? What if you’re in a room alone? What if you don’t see Hazel or Stella (the cats)? What if you see a firefighter? What if you smell smoke? What if you see the smoke?
For a kid like G, the more preparation the better, and the more details we can arm her with, the less upset she would be. Talking through things helps her feel comfortable.
Don’t Hide
This is a big one for me. I know my kids, and I know what they do when they’re scared: they hide. In addition to explicitly telling them not to hide in case of a fire, I have talked with them about what parts of a fire might be scary and might make them want to hide.
We’ve talked about what firefighters look like in their gear, and I’m hoping to arrange a visit to the local station so they can see them in person. We’ve talked about how they might look scary in their masks, but are really helpers and safe people. We’ve talked to them about the noises of the smoke detectors and the smell of the smoke. We’ve asked them to yell so we know where they are.
Get the Right Gear
We have multiple smoke detectors on each floor of the house and a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, but I realized that we didn’t have escape ladders on the second floor or any extinguishers up there. So we made sure to get some.
We got 2 ladders (currently on sale) for the bedrooms upstairs and these small fire extinguishers to place upstairs and in the basement.
Right now, the kids know that the ladders are there, and they know what will happen if we are upstairs and there is a fire. They aren’t old enough to use them independently yet, but as soon as they are a few years older, we will teach them and practice using them.
Our fire safety plan is something that will keep evolving as our family grows and our kids get older, but I’m grateful that we have one, and now that it’s on my radar, I don’t think it will slip off again.