Teaching Kids the Essentials of Fire Safety and Extinguisher Use

11/7/2019 (Permalink)

With the holiday season in full swing, most kids and teens will be spending a few days at home during their Thanksgiving school break.

Teaching adolescents to prepare and cook their meals with various kitchen appliances like a toaster oven or microwave shouldn’t cause too much concern for parents; however, there are those unexpected moments when things could go suddenly wrong. Whether its siblings watching out for one another or a babysitter caring for your kids during that vacation break, it is essential to go over emergency procedures with any individuals that will be in your household in the event of an unexpected fire.

The very first step towards fire prevention is awareness about fire and precautionary measures. It’s not enough if you alone learn about fire prevention. Children need to possess a basic knowledge of dealing with fire breakouts. They need to learn about the different types of firefighting techniques, especially those adopted for small homes. Dousing the flames with the right kind of fire extinguisher is also essential. For instance, you can’t extinguish electrical fires with water and would instead need a Class C rated fire extinguisher.

The ability of your kids to help you douse the flames and at times, even handling fire extinguishers all by themselves is subject to proper training and awareness about firefighting. You can’t leave your kids to the mercy of any size of flames. Instead, train them to deal with fire breakouts by learning about fire prevention. Your kids need to learn about the PASS method for handling small fire and dousing the flames with home fire extinguishers. Here is a training method developed to deal with fires.

Your kids need to remember the PASS method while using the fire extinguisher:

P – pulling the extinguisher pin
A – aiming the fire extinguisher low
S – squeezing the handle
S – sweeping the extinguisher sidewise

Besides just using your home fire extinguishers, you need to train your kids on how to prevent fires, as well. You need to inform them about not leaving any flammable items like gas cylinders in front of flames or fire and ensure that the easily accessible appliances they use are switched off and unplugged before it is left unattended. You also need to tell them to call the emergency fire service; they notice flames in any corner of your residence.

Avoiding scenarios that could lead to fires breaking out minimizes the chances of an actual fire taking place. Your kids can play a vital role in preventing accidental fires just by learning about the prevention techniques and even handling home fire extinguishers efficiently.

At SERVPRO of Brown County, we know that despite taking precautionary measures to avoid a home disaster from transpiring, fires still take place.

Certain circumstances require someone knowledgeable in various levels of the restoration process. Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO’s Corporate Training Facility to regular IICRC industry certifications, rest assured our team is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property. Our training program includes the following:

• IICRC Training
• Employee Certification Training
• Initial Franchise Training
• e-Learnings
• Continuing Education Classes

If you have any questions or need our services, give us a call at (920) 434-8224.