Fire talk with kiddos...

[Darci]

Hi all...This has been weighing heavy on my mind the last two days. Our old neighbors had a fire at their house...lost everything that they own, including their dog. Luckily, they were not home, and are all safe. The house is structurally ok, but will need to be gutted and totally redone.

This has me thinking a lot about what we would do if there was a fire at our house in the middle of the night - who would I grab first - Morgan or Mason - how would we get out - do we have a meeting place, etc.

I think that we are going to talk with Morgan...demonstrate to him what the smoke detector in his room sounds like, and what he should do if he hears it. My biggest fear is that he would begin running around trying to find us and we wouldnt be able to find him. I was also advised by a firefighter that we should have a set meeting place outside that we would all go to...in case we got separated while getting out.

The same firefighter also advised to never ever even think of taking the time to grab any possessions - he said that if there is a fire, you have about 5 minutes to get out before the toxic fumes could overcome you - not sure if he is right about the time, but it makes sense.

Before I would sleep even one night in this house when we moved in, I had dh install 8 smoke detectors - we have a long ranch, two fireplaces, etc. and I wanted to make sure that if something happened on the end of the house away from our bedrooms we would know about it.

Anyway...just my rambling thoughts!! Hopefully we will never need a plan but I guess it is good to think about it.

[MAYANQT]

Good subject to bring up! At the present time our dd sleeps in a crib, so we would immediately get her! But, you have definately given me food for thought.

I'm sorry for your friends loss, losing their home and a family pet is devastating, very glad everyone is ok.

Thanks for bringing this subject up,
Angie

[mellymom]

We've even gone as far as to set off the smoke detector one night for everyone to hear and wake to. They were warned that one night that week we were going to surprise them with a fire drill. They knew in the old house to go down the steps and straight out the front door of our cape. The meeting place was right next door, NOT crossing the street, on their front porch.

Even at a story and a half, we got a safety ladder and practiced dropping it out the window and climbing out. It is SO FREAKY climbing over the sill and stepping out. We are rock climbers and used to a rope, so it felt naked without.

Having dated a fireman for years before getting married to someone else..... I got to hear lots of stories. Kids generally try to HIDE from the fire. Under beds, in closets, and with super human strength BEHIND furniture (dressers, couches.....).

Respirators and masks sound alot like Darth Vader, and look at the very least like monsters.

Just a few more ideas for you all.

melanie

[MarieL]

My kids are a little young to do fire drills. That said, when we were foster parents, we would do the drills with kids as young as 4 years old. The rule was to go out the front or the back door if the alarm went off. We had a spot to meet at. They were not to do anything (like come looking for us) but get out.

We'd do the drills about every 2-3 months or whenever we had a new child.

[Darci]

sooo...I am just curious. What should I tell a 3 1/2 year old to do?

He would not be able to get out the window in his room alone. We have very long ranch home, and for him to take off and try to walk the whole length of the house by himself is too scary...

Do I tell him to grab a sheet or something to try to breathe through, and get on the floor in a specific spot..and wait for us to come and get him?

I just can't get the thought of this out of my mind and need to have some resolution with him!

My plan is that I would grab Morgan, run to Masons room, knock out the screen in the window and get them both out.

[ShellP]

My Dad was a volunteer and we always did drills growing up. Now, I think about it often myself. We have an escape plan and a meeting place, but need to talk about it more with Jake. He is afraid of loud noises so the fire alarm really scares him. Our house has 5 smoke detectors and at least 4 fire extingushers, including one near the furnace, one in the kitchen and one even in our bedroom closet, just in case. This is a good subject to bring up to remind people to talk about their escape routes, etc and also as a reminder to change the batteries in their smoke detectors (I change mine with the time change, twice a year and test them every two months or so).

There is a Sesame Street video out that talks about a Visit to the Firehouse and shows a firefighter in their protective equipment. Also, you might consider planning a trip to your local fire dept at some point. I have a friend who is a fire fighter and he's going to give us a tour, let Jake try on his jacket and hat and talk to him about safety.

Shell

[timk]

No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (And Dragons)

Tim

[BC-Tracik]

I have thought about this too... especially since our kids have slept through the fire and CM detectors going off before. My plan would be to go out our bedroom door, Alondra sleeps there so then grab her, and then go around to Mateo's room, break the window climb in and grab him... then if I had time to try to coax the cats out the back door as well, I know yea right.

We have never really set up a meeting place but that is probably something Alondra is ready for. They talked a bit about calling 911 and fires at Gymnastics camp last year when the fire truck came to visit. Probably need to up the talking now that she is almost 4.

[Daffodil]

I do a fire and saftey curriculum with my 3 and 4 year olds in preschool. We talk about it in a way that teaches them without scareing . Also, Elmo has a good fire safety video out that is another good resource for that age group.

[mellymom]

kids today are able to put a tape in the VCR by 2 years old, they should be able to hear and practice a drill in the daylight. You can keep anything just the facts and make it not quite as scary.

busting a window into a room adds quite a bit of nice fresh oxygen to the house, is there any other way in?


melanie