A week ago my kids went back to school. Yes they do miss their time off from school during the summer months, but they are enjoying the new school year so far. They are getting reacquainted with old friends and are making new friends. When I pick them up from school I ask them how was their day. Both of my daughters respond with the old standby answer of, “It was good.”
That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. My wife and I do ask follow up questions to get a sense of what their day was like at school. Yet yesterday I got a different answer from my daughters when I asked them about their day. They both said that it was awesome. First of all I was stunned to not get the “It was good” response, but I also wanted to know why it was awesome.
So I asked them what happened at school to make it so awesome. They told me it was because they had a fire drill. They got to take a break from the studies and follow their respective teachers outside. It was like an impromptu recess session. Now my kids have had firefighters come to their school before. They were able to sit in a real fire truck. They even got those red plastic fireman hats to take home along with stickers, coloring books, and a bookmark with fire safety tips on it. So my daughters are no strangers to fire safety in school, but while I was talking to them about fire safety I realized something. They have no clue about what to do if there ever was a fire in our own home. That is scary and that needs to change.
My kids know that they should not play with fire, matches, or touch a hot oven, but that is about it when it comes to fire safety in our home. So my wife and I knew as parents one of our roles to protect them is to teach them about fire safety in our home. We need to sit down with them and talk about what would happen if we had a fire or our carbon monoxide detector went off in our home. We are looking to not only talk to them, but have our own fire drill just like they do at school. Kids learn by doing and so having a real fire drill in our home is key. We will also discuss the importance of having a bag ready with clothes and key items that we would need in case of a fire. These are important talks we all need to have with our kids.
Some of you parents out there might already have had this talk with your kids and have done your own fire drill at home. For those like me who haven’t, take some time during the weekend and open up a conversation with your kids about fire safety in your home. While you are talking to your kids and doing a walkthrough I have added some tips below on how you can practice fire safety at home.
Test your smoke alarms weekly and replace them every 10 years.
Have CO alarms on each level of your house and near bedrooms – do your kids even know about carbon monoxide (CO)?
Talk with your kids about a fire safety routine – ask them, how can you be fire safe?
Create an escape plan and practice it with your family – explain that it applies to both fire and CO emergencies.
For more information go to the Kidde website HERE.
Plus Kidde and The Home Depot are bringing kid-friendly fire safety workshops to stores across the U.S. on Saturdays in October. Check your local area store for exact dates and times. It’s a great opportunity to review fire safety as a family!
Also the Kidde Worry-Free CO alarm is a fantastic model to keep your family safe. This carbon monoxide alarm features a night light, which your kids will love! It comes with a 10 year, sealed-in battery and has a digital display. Also for our Life of Dad readers you can use the promo code “Codad” and get a discount of 15% off. There is also free shipping in the contiguous United States.
Please Note: We here at Life of Dad are working with Kidde and this is a sponsored post, but my thoughts are my own.