Are you practicing fire safety at home? Trust me... a word from personal experience...you need to be doing this!
You know, October is Fire Prevention Month and at schools across the country, students are going through fire drills and having visits from local firefighters that teach them the basics about fire safety. Are you homeschooling? If so, this means that NOW is the time to make arrangements to stop by your local fire department with your kids. Have a firefighter walk them through the building and give them a field trip. Make sure that when you get home, you practice fire drills in the house.
Now, a few tips for you that I have found are effective in the home:
1. Sneak down the hall while the kids are doing their work and use a broom handle to set off your smoke alarm. Keep an eye on the clock and see how long it takes for them to get safely out of the house.
2. Now, wait until nightfall and simulate bedtime. Turn off the lights in the house (all of them) and hit that smoke alarm again. It is important that the kids understand that this is something they will have to do in the DARK.
3. Make sure they all go to the same place. Is it out by the mailbox? The neighbors porch? Across the street?
4. Give your kids a project. Have them make their own fire safety brochure or poster promoting what they have learned. Make sure they make at least two of these. Now, have your kids visit your nearest neighbors for a visit. Have the kids explain to the neighbors what they learned and have them give their new "promotional literature" to the neighbors. While you are there, make sure the neighbors know where you have chosen to meet outside YOUR house if fire ever strikes your family. This way, when the firefighters arrive, the neighbors can tell them where you SHOULD be so there are no firefighters needlessly searching your home for you!
