Over the past year I have been a part of the Kidde Ambassador program, and grateful I am. I have had many opportunities to visit with friends and family about fire safety issues. It seems most of the people I’ve talked to are aware of possible safety concerns inside their home but lack the time or drive to take the simple steps to protect their families from the potential fire issues. That is why I love to teach my kids about fire safety, and discussing how to react in the event of a fire.
When is the last time you talked to your children about fire safety? Have you created a fire escape plan? Are your kids comfortable with the escape plan and know what to do in case of a fire? I would like to say we are prepared as a family, but realistically we are never ready for every situation.
Since I have become a Kidde Ambassador, we’ve tried to take an active stance to be more home safety cautious and to be ready for any fire or carbon monoxide threat. Here are some of the steps we’ve taken:
We have learned how to properly install a fire escape ladder.
We have created and practiced our family’s fire escape plan so hopefully everyone knows where to go if there is a fire – no matter where each person is within the house – as well as where our fire extinguishers are located in case of emergency.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) statistics indicate that the primary reason smoke alarms fail to operate in home structure fires is a missing/disconnected battery (50%) and dead/discharged battery (23%), which is why it is so important to have working smoke alarms installed in your home.
I have also learned to test each one of the smoke alarms in the house. The kids and I have found joy in testing them together. We use a ladder to go throughout the whole house to test every smoke alarm monthly. The kids love it, because it kind of startles them when it beeps. I like sharing the responsibility with them because not only do they learn an important fire safety step, but they also enjoy doing it.
Overall, I am so glad that I talk to and include my girls in our home fire safety planning. Do you talk to your kids about fire safety?
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