 Prepare. Practice. Prevent the unthinkable. This is the slogan for the "Fire Safety for Babies and Toddlers" campaign developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The campaign is designed to draw attention to the increased risk of fire death for young children, and encourage families to take extra precautions. According to a report issued by FEMA, young children and older adults are more likely than any other group to die in a fire because of their decreased cognitive ability. According to the report, 558 children under the age of 14 died from fire in 2004 and more than 50 percent of those were 5 years old or younger. To help promote fire safety, FEMA suggests parents take the following precautions: - Take extreme care with the storage of your matches and lighters. Never underestimate your child's curiosity about fire, nor their ability to strike matches or start a lighter.
- When a child is curious about fire or has been playing with fire, calmly and firmly explain that matches and lighters are tools for only adults to use carefully.
- Never use matches or lighters as amusement for your children. They may imitate your actions.
- Install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of your home, especially outside of sleeping areas.
- As soon as your children are old enough to understand, familiarize them with the sound of the smoke alarm. Teach them that when one goes off, they must leave the home and go to the designated family meeting place outside.
- Practice a fire escape plan and fire-safe behaviors on a regular basis. Children as young as three years old can follow a fire escape plan they have practiced often.
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