“ Peee Parents (NAPS)—According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 350,000 home fires occur each year—but you can help your family stay safe. Fire Safety Suggestions Keep your family safe by: 1. Having at least one fire alarm on each floor of the house and in each bedroom. 2. Checking the batteries monthly and replacing them at least once a year, more often if necessary. 3. Helping kids identify what items are safe to play with in the house. “Many children who play with fire do so out of curiosity or a desire to emulate their parents,” explains Dr. Robert Cole, President of Fireproof Children and spokesperson for BIC’s play safe! be safe! fire safety education program. “Eliminate temptation by keeping lighters and matches out of sight and reach and by supervising playtime.” 4. Helping your youngsters understand fire safety. Children learn best when they feel comfortable. The play safe! be safe! program (www.playsafebesafe.com) provides teachers, parents and those who care for young children with the tools they need to teach kids about fire safety and prevention by sharing basic facts, playing games and visualstorytelling. Consider this: Parents know that birthday candles, when left unattended, can quickly start a roaring fire. Young children, however, cannot understand what could happenif they play with an unattended candle. Thefirst step to keep families safe is teaching children how to react to a fire emergency. Adds Dr. Cole, “Many young children are scared of strangers and loud noises. Whena siren goes off and unfamiliar firemen in ‘scary’ masks enter their house to rescue those inside, a child’s first instinct will be to hide. Parents should teach their children what to do if they hear the fire alarm or see a firefighter coming to help.” Parents and children can learn fire safety from an entertaining, Parents and children can learn fire safety from an entertaining, educational website: www. playsafebesafe.com. educational website: www. playsafebesafe.com. Parents can most effectively help their children overcome fear through positive messaging and reinforcement. Interactive games, such as the ones featured on the www.playsafebesafe.com site, let children learn in a safe, fun and rewarding way. Picture books, both fictional and nonfictional, can also be great learningtools. When children are able to see images of firefighters and their “scary-looking” gear in a safe and calm setting, they are less likely to panic in times of danger. Since the program’s inception in 1994, BIC Corporation has distributed more than 114,000 fire safety education kits and more than 184 workshops with community leaders. Each play safe! be safe! kit includes a 20-minute multilingual video (in English, French Canadian and Spanish), colorful story cards, activity boards, a card game and a comprehensive teacher’s manual. Learn More For a look at the program, including how to bring it to your community or to play the interactive games with your kids, go to www.playsafebesafe.com.
