Today, Year 5 we’re visited by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Luckily, there wasn’t an emergency (or a cat stuck up a tree). They visited to educate us about some basic fire safety.
We began by learning about the importance of smoke alarms – almost all of us said we had a smoke alarm which is great! Ask your child how often smoke alarms should be checked.
After watching a video of a fire taking hold (the smoke alarm went off after 20 seconds and by 3 minutes the room was completely engulfed in thick, black smoke), we thought about a few points that could keep us safe n the event of a fire:
- Close all doors before going to bed.
- Alert everyone in the house immediately.
- Put a pillow or duvet behind the door to stop smoke getting entering your room (standard house doors can resist a fire for roughly 15 minutes).
- Check smoke alarms regularly.
- Try and stand near an open window.
One of the most important things to do is to create a fire action plan. A fire action plan should be discussed as a family and means that everyone in the house knows exactly what to do in the event of a fire. When creating your fire action plan, the following points are important ones to consider…
- How will you let everyone else in the house know?
- Is there a room in the house that could be a ‘safe room’? Everyone must be able to access this room easily. A room with a sturdy door and big windows is ideal.
- Does everyone know where the keys for external doors are kept? Being able to exit the property swiftly could be crucial.
- When leaving the property, stay close to the floor.
- Who will call 999 and using what phone?
- Are there obstructions on the way out of the house?
- Does everyone in the house know who is there and what the address is? These are the two most important pieces of information that 999 call handlers will need to know.
Help your child by discussing the key points above with them. Even better, make a fire action plan.
Challenge your child by asking them to explain the triangle of fire.