“Spring Ahead” and practice your home fire drill

Every day at least one child dies in a home fire. In that same day, 293 children suffer from a non-fatal unintentional injury caused by a fire or burn. As you change your clocks this weekend to “spring ahead”, be sure to Practice Your Home Fire Drill! It isn’t enough to talk about it with children. They need to practice.

Remember, children younger than age 7 are more vulnerable to smoke and flames in a fire, less likely to wake up if a smoke alarm sounds while they’re sleeping and have a hard time escaping a burning home by themselves. Children under age 5 typically lack the motor skills and mental capabilities needed to quickly escape a burning building, but children as young as age 3 can follow an escape plan if they have practiced it often.

“Fire can spread rapidly through a home, leaving a family as little as two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds,” said Shawneri Guzman, Safe Kids Snohomish County Coordinator. “Along with a properly installed smoke alarm, parents should plan several escape routes out of their home and then designate a safe place to meet. Then practice with your kids so they know exactly what to do.”

When children see smoke or fire, they may try to hide in a closet or under a bed. So, as soon as your children are old enough to understand, make sure they know the sound of the smoke alarm and what to do when they hear it.

A voice recordable smoke alarm to supplement the smoke alarms in your home might be a good idea. Children often will wake to the sound of your voice giving them commands, rather than a beeping smoke alarm.

Teach your children:

• Not to hide from firefighters.
• How to crawl low under smoke to reduce smoke inhalation
• How to touch closed doors to check for heat before opening
• Two ways out of every room
• Where your family meeting place outside your home is