Firefighters teach toddlers safety messages
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue service (WFRS) has been showing its support for protecting families with visits to children’s centres in the Stratford-on-Avon District.
Fire and Rescue Service staff attend various children’s centres including the Stratford Children’s Centre, Bidford Goslings Toddler group, Studley Children’s Centre and Alcester Children’s Centre.
Area risk teams have arranged the visits to make contact with parents and carers and give out fire safety information, take referrals for home fire safety checks and to take the Fire Engine activity box for the children to play with.
The activity box has been created by WFRS’ Community Fire Safety Team to assist fire fighters with putting across positive messages to pre-school children. Each box contains a pop up fire engine tent, firefighter tunics, helmets, toy fire extinguishers, a Fireman Sam DVD, torch loudspeaker and many other story book and activity ideas to help the children have fun whilst learning about fire safety.
However, there is a serious message to be communicated. During Child Safety Week, two toddlers will be admitted to hospital because they’ve inhaled poisonous smoke from a fire in their home.
A young child can die in under a minute from breathing in poisonous smoke. Each day, 100 babies and toddlers will be in a hospital bed as a result of an accident in the home.
Councillor Richard Hobbs, portfolio holder for community protection with Warwickshire County Council said; “We are delighted to make contact with the children’s centres. For young families, the risks that new children bring may not always be apparent. We like to get out and talk to families so they know what to do to make their homes safer without learning the hard way.
“It’s important that mums and dads talk to their children about fire safety and set a good example to help them stay safer together. Explaining the importance of having a smoke alarm and testing it weekly, for example, can significantly reduce the devastating consequences of having an accidental house fire.”
Priscilla Groenveld, chief officer of the Parenting Project charity which manages the children’s centres visited by the firefighters, said: “We were delighted to have the firefighters. Naturally the children thoroughly enjoyed the time they spent here but it also gave their parents the opportunity to pick up some useful tips on how to safeguard their home and protect their children.”
Tips in child safety are available by logging on to http://www.childsafetyweek.org.uk, to promote the ’safer together’ theme and to help parents ensure they and their kids stay safe from accidental fire in the home.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue offer a free home fire safety check. For a free check, call 01926 466282.