Keeping kids safe is a full-time job. Toddlers like mine are always on the go! Widget runs here, he runs there, he climbs on nearly everything, and he’s curious about the rest. Sometimes — okay, most of the time — it’s exhausting to keep up with him. Now that he’s two, I’m trying to let go of my need to be right next to him every minute of the day and let him assert some of the independence he craves. But he still needs me, and that’s part of the job.
There was a terrible story on the news this morning. Six children died overnight in an apartment fire in Chicago. Three other children are hospitalized, as is their mother. Everyone is stunned. The cause of the fire? A single candle left burning. The reason that they didn’t get out in time? There were no working smoke detectors in the apartment. Nine kids and not one smoke detector, according to the fire department. I am just beside myself.
There are so many dangers out there today, it can get overwhelming. How do we protect our kids from everything? Well, we can’t, but we can protect them from fire.
According to the United States Fire Association (USFA), there should be a smoke detector on each level of the home, outside sleeping areas, and one inside each bedroom where the door is usually closed. Yes, that means that almost all of us should go check to make sure there is a working smoke alarm in the nursery. That’s one item that registries and web sites don’t put on the new baby shopping lists — but they should!
The USFA also says that if there is a smoke alarm in the nursery where the door is often shut, the baby monitor should be left on so that parents working or sleeping in another area of the house can hear the alarm if it sounds. Good point!
When kids are old enough to understand, they should all be taught how to escape a fire. We must remember to introduce our preschoolers to the idea, and teach each one that when a smoke alarm sounds, they must crawl on the floor under the smoke, leave the home, and meet in a designated place outside. And test the smoke alarm in their presence every now and then, so they remember what it sounds like and don’t panic.
The six kids in Chicago were found huddled in a closet. I wish they had known what to do and how to escape once confronted with fire and smoke. I wish they had lived to grow up and learn their purpose in life, and to inspire others. I wish they had had a smoke detector in their home.
The information cited here comes from the two page download available for free from the USFA at: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/usfaparents/brochure.pdf There’s more, including free videos, at the USFA Resources for Kids and Families website: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/parents-teachers/resources.shtm For older kids or curious grownups, there’s a page at NASA explaining How Smoke Detectors Work: http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/combustion/same/smoke_how_work.htm How Smoke Detectors Work was going to be the subject of this post, actually, but I’m just so spitting mad at the Chicago incident (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/03/chicago.fire.ap/index.html) this morning that I can’t write anything scientific.
As your kids grow and explore today, please keep them safe. Change the batteries in smoke detectors, and if they’re old enough, teach them how to safely escape from fire. Enough is enough.
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