Child safety week highlights the dangers in your home
Twelve-hundred children under the age of 11 are injured and 35 children die in fires in the home in the UK every year – that’s an alarming number!
Fire is the biggest killer of children in the home and tragically many of these deaths could be avoided if children knew what to do when a fire starts. This is the clear stark message from Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service who are urging all parents/carers to install a smoke alarm and to make sure children are taught about fire safety during Child Safety Week, 18-24 June 2007.
Child Accident Prevention Trust, Chief Executive, Katrina Phillips, says:
“During Child Safety Week, we’re passing on the message that many serious accidents are caused by simple things and house fires are no exception. Cooking, cigarettes, matches and lighters and overloaded electrical sockets are common causes of house fires. But having a working smoke alarm fitted to every level of your home will help to save your life if a fire breaks out – especially as most house fires start while you are asleep, between 10pm and 8am.”
Area Risk Manager, David Vazquez says: “Child Safety Week focuses on all aspects of Child Safety and we are delighted to support the event and raise the profile of fire safety awareness for children. Children are often not the cause of these fires, but frequently pay a high price for someone else’s carelessness. By following a few simple steps you can ensure that your children know what to do in the event of a fire, which will give them a better chance of getting out unharmed.”
For very young children (aged under 5):
Make sure children understand that they need to alert an adult if they discover a fire and not to hide.
For older children (age 6 and above):
Plan and practice an escape route – make sure children know the easiest way to get out of your home and practise it regularly to keep it fresh in their minds.
Show children where the keys are kept – It’s important that the keys to doors and windows are always kept in the same place, a place everyone in the home knows.
Explain what to do if they can’t get out – show them the best room to take refuge in – for example, a room with a window and a flat roof outside it.
Discuss how to call 999 – Make sure children know the number off by heart as well as their address. Always make sure that both are pinned up by the phone and tell them about the dangers of hoax calls.
During Fire Safety Week firefighters will be visiting schools and playgroups with a videotape called ‘Frances the Firefly’ which tells a story, designed to prevent children playing with matches. In addition the children will receive a full colour book with large graphics to help them remember the story.
In closing David said,
“Unfortunately too many of us in the service have attended incidents involving young people. To see lives snatched away at such an early age is tragic and so preventable. Fitting a smoke alarm and testing it regularly is the single most important thing parents can do to protect their family. Smoke alarms provide an early warning of a fire that can give a family crucial time to escape safely. Without this vital warning, it may be too late before they know there is a fire.”
For a free home fire safety check contact our Helpline on 01926 466282. Alternatively you can complete an application form via our website http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue