Fire Safety Tips for Kids

The goal of Fire Prevention Month (and Fire Prevention Week which is October 3rd – 9th) is to raise fire safety awareness, and help ensure your home and family is protected. It’s the perfect time to brush up on basic fire safety and think about how to educate your children.

We talked to the professionals at the U.S. Fire Administration and asked them for basic fire safety tips to share with young children.

HAVE A PLAN

It is important to have a home fire escape plan when there are children in your home. Children sometimes need help getting out of the house. They may not know how to escape or what to do unless an adult shows them.

• Plan for young children who cannot get outside by themselves. You will need to wake babies and young children and help them get out. In your plan, talk about who will help each child get out safely.
• Find two ways out of every room in your home, in case one exit is blocked or dangerous to use. Make sure you also identify two exits from the home itself.
• Choose a meeting place outside your home. Your meeting place should be a safe distance from your home but in the front where firefighters can see you.
• Practice your home fire home fire escape plan at least twice a year. Help children practice going to the outside meeting place and teach them to never go back inside a building that is on fire.
• Children should know what to do when they hear a smoke alarm and there is no adult around.

BASIC HOME FIRE SAFETY

Many children are curious about fire. There are simple steps you can take to keep children safer from fire and burns.

• Keep children 3 feet away from anything that can get hot including space heaters and stove tops.
• Keep smoking materials locked up in a high place. Never leave cigarette lighters or matches where children can reach them.

FOR MORE INFO

For info on fire prevention from the City of Monterey Fire Department

The U.S. Fire Administration has Sesame Street materials you can use, Sesame Street Fire Safety Program for preschool children (fema.gov). Click to download and print coloring sheets or listen to songs and stories by Sesame characters.