At what age should fire safety rules be taught?
Dangers await people everywhere. At any moment an accident, fire, animal bite, etc. can happen. An adult has a certain model of behavior in this case, but a child does not. Therefore, it is so important to give him knowledge about possible threatening situations and objects. Children receive their first lessons in the family: “you can’t touch matches,” “it’s dangerous to approach the stove.” In the garden they deepen this knowledge.
It is recommended that children be introduced to fire safety rules from the age of 3 years. First, a series of introductory lessons are conducted to help you learn what is dangerous and what is not. Children learn to recognize fire hazards and handle them correctly. Later, starting from 4–5 years old, they learn to understand the interconnection of events: “a lit match can lead to a fire in the house, an unextinguished fire can burn a forest.”
How to behave in case of fire?
At a young age, a child is not able to put out a fire and follow the rules that exist for adults.
Up to 6 years of age, children must know and follow only 3 points:
- Do not touch flammable objects.
- In case of fire, notify parents, neighbors, and teacher as soon as possible.
- Remain in the sight of adults, obey them in everything and try to behave calmly.
At 7–8 years old, when the child begins to be left unattended, he is told about the first fire safety rules:
- If the fire is small, try to extinguish it by throwing a thick cloth, pouring a pan of water or covering it with sand.
- If this does not help or the fire is large, immediately leave the dangerous place.
- Don't hide under the bed or in the closet, but if possible, get out of the house.
- If you are locked inside, close the windows and doors in the room where the fire occurred. Take your phone and lock yourself in the bathroom. Plug all the cracks and the hood.
- Call the fire department on 101 as soon as possible or ask adults to do this: neighbors, passers-by.
- Smoke is more dangerous than fire. If you feel like you're starting to choke, lie down on the floor. There is always less smoke at the bottom.
- Do not use the elevator during a fire - it may shut down. Just go down the stairs.
- Stay calm and don't try to leave the house through the window.
- When the firefighters arrive, obey them in everything and do not be afraid. They will help you.
