Fire Safety in the Home - Prevention, Detection, Escape

Day 1: Fire Safety in the Home - PREVENTION -  

The teacher asks students, How do I stop fires before they start? What can I do to help my family stay fire safe?

• You will guide the students through a game called “Hot or Not Hot.” Explain to the students you will show them pictures of things they may see at home. Their job is to decide whether these things are “Hot” or “Not Hot.” You will point to the picture and ask “Hot, or not hot?” then the students in unison will say their choice out loud.
• What makes something hot? Explain the thing you're pointing at must be able to do one or both of the following:
• Burn a person
• Start a fire
• Anything you point to that’s not hot, the students should say “Not hot!” when you ask the question “Hot or not hot?”
• Let’s practice! Ask the students to pretend you’ve pointed to something hot. Ask the question “Hot or not hot?” Correct any poor performance. Now ask the students to pretend you’ve pointed to something not hot. Ask the question “Hot or not hot?” Correct any poor performance.
• Begin the “Hot or Not Hot” game by advancing to the next slide.

• After playing the “Hot or Not Hot!” game using the slide show, play it again in the classroom, identify any objects that can burn someone and/or start a fire (i.e. outlets, overhead lights, smart boards, overhead projectors, anything with electrical cords).
• Now that the students have learned how to identify hot objects, ask them to name items or situations involving hot objects that they should tell an adult about:
• You see matches; lighters or anything you think can cause a fire or burn someone in your home.
• You believe something is too close to a heater or there is no adult in the room with the heater.
• You believe something is too close to a candle or no adult is in the room with a candle.
• Finally, make sure students know not to touch the stove or anything on the stove.
• Assign students homework to complete and bring back for discussion tomorrow.
• Answer the question: Are there any of the hot objects from our game in your home?  If so, where?
• Identify any objects that can burn someone and/or start a fire.
• Create a list of hot objects at their home and bring back to class.

Day 2: Fire Safety in the Home - DETECTION - 
1. Have the students say “DETECT” out loud.   Explain that even if everything is done right, sometimes there can still be a fire in a building.  If there is a fire, we need to know about it as quickly as possible.  Smoke alarms save lives.  They help us quickly know there is a fire.

2. Have the students answer the three questions on the slide. List their responses as they answer (no limitation).

Question #1 – Smoke alarms should be located in every sleeping area, outside of every sleeping area with a minimum of one smoke alarm per level to include basements. On levels without bedrooms, install alarms in the living room (or den or family room) or near the stairway to the upper level, or in both locations. If the students do not have smoke alarms in these areas or do not have smoke alarms in their home, contact your local fire department and ask for their assistance.​

Question #2 – Find out the students’ experiences with smoke alarms. Guide them to the conclusion, if you hear a smoke alarm you should stop what you’re doing and see what’s going on. If they smell or see smoke they need to escape immediately. Avoid too much detail on the escape as we will cover this in Module 3 - Escape.

Question #3 - Conduct a thought experiment. Have the student’s pretend there's a fire in the corner of the room in which the lesson is being conducted. This fire is floor to ceiling. Ask the following sensory questions about the pretend fire. All should answer “yes” to each question. Correct any poor performance:

• Can you see the fire?
• If you closed your eyes, could you feel the heat of the fire on your face?
• If you listened very hard, could you hear the fire crackling like a camp fire?
• Could you smell the smoke from the fire just after the fire started?
• Have the students pretend there’s a fire in a room on the other side of the building from where the lesson is being conducted. This fire is the same as the first fire was described, only, it’s on the other side of the building. Ask the following sensory questions about the pretend fire. All should answer “no” to each question. Correct any poor performance:
• Can you see the fire?
• If you closed your eyes, could you feel the heat of the fire on your face?
• If you listened very hard, could you hear the fire crackling like a camp fire?
• Could you smell the smoke from the fire just after the fire started?

Ask the students the following questions:

• Is it safe to be in this building if there’s a fire inside of it, no matter where the fire is? They should all answer “no.” Correct any poor performance.
• How will I know about the fire that’s on the other side of the building from our experiment? Guide the students in identifying the fire alarm system in the school as the way to answer question #3. Now ask the students if they have anything like that at home. Discuss smoke alarms in the home using the knowledge already gained from answering questions #1 & #2.

3. Have the students say “Home or School” out loud and that they will be using either one to participate in the “Home or School” game.  The object of the game is to point out which alarm is at “Home” and which alarm is at “school”.

4. Use photos of different types of detection equipment (shown on the slide) – home vs. school (You may come across situations where students are seeing all these items at home [i.e.  Apartment complex]).
 

• How does the detection equipment in each photo alert there is a fire?
  • Smoke alarms (#2) are normally seen in the home.
    • Ask students when batteries should be replaced.
      • Answer – At least once a year
    • Ask students how many years a smoke alarm is good for.
      • Answer –10 years
  • A fire alarm (#1), a pull station (#4), and sprinklers (#3) are normally seen in a school but may be seen in the homes of students living in an apartment building.
    • The fire alarm will alert everyone in the school, and sprinklers will only activate in the area where the fire is located
    • Instruct students pull stations should never be used unless there is an actual fire. 

5. Walk the school and locate fire alarms, pull stations and sprinklers – label on a map or observe on the way to lunch.
 
BONUS QUESTION: Which photos could possibly be found at home and school?
 
6. Make sure to emphasize the following points about smoke alarms.
Smoke alarms must be:

• Installed in the right locations in the home (refer to the smoke alarm installation guide for your discussion)
• Installed correctly (refer to the smoke alarm installation guide for your discussion)
• Less than 10 years old (alarms over 10 years old have expired and must be replaced)

7. Assign students homework to complete and bring back to discuss.

• At home, identify where all the smoke alarms are located, make sure they are less than 10 years old and list on paper.
• Bring back and discuss in class.

Day3: Fire Safety in the Home - ESCAPE - 1. Have students say “ESCAPE” out loud. Explain that once they know there is a fire in the home, they must escape. Explain that planning and conducting a home fire drill is an important part of the escape.

2. Have the students say “GET OUT AND STAY OUT”. Explain “GET OUT STAY OUT.”  Do not go back in the home for any favorite toy or pet.
 
3. Cover These Items:

• Safe meeting place
  • Where the whole family needs to go once outside the home.
  • What is the best safe meeting place at your house?
• Discuss sleeping with bedroom doors closed.
  • The deadly gases from a fire can keep you from waking up.

 
3. Questions to ask the students about their home fire drill plans:

• Do you have your home fire drill plan drawn out?
• Have you drawn two ways out?
• Have you practiced your home fire drill?
• Do we stop and grab our stuff on the way out?
• Do we go back in once we get out?

4. Have the Principal or Assistant Principal speak to the class about school fire drills. Consider tying this to a school fire drill the week of this lesson.

The Principle or Assistant Principle could cover the following:

• What does he/she do to prepare the school?
• Why do we practice?
• What does the administration look for, the importance, etc?

5. Using your classroom as a guide, have the students practice drawing a home fire drill plan using the provided “Home Fire Drill Planner.”  Once completed, use one of the home fire drill plans to conduct a simulated home fire drill.
 
6. In order to be good at escape, you must conduct regular home fire drills. Do a home fire drill at least twice a year. Go over the following steps:

• When drawing out your home fire drill plan mark the following:
  • Two ways out of every room
  • The location of all alarms
  • Your safe meeting place
• Remember:
  • Get Out Stay Out, never go back in a burning building for ANYTHING
  • You MUST practice your home fire drill at least twice a year
  • Sleep with your doors closed to give you more time to escape. A closed-door slows down deadly smoke, which can knock you out if you breathe it.

7. You will guide the students through a game called “Safe or Not Safe!” Explain to the students you will be showing them pictures of places they may see outside their home. Their job is to decide whether these places are “Safe” or “Not Safe!” You will point to the picture and ask “Safe or Not Safe?” then the students in unison will say their choice out loud.

• What makes a place safe? Explain the place in the picture you're pointing to must be:
  • Far enough from the burning building that someone wouldn’t be burned standing there
  • If it’s an object, it should not be able to be easily moved
  • It should be a place everyone in the home knows about
  • There should only be one safe meeting place
• Anything you point to that’s not safe, the students should say “Not Safe!” when you ask the question “Safe or Not Safe?”
  • Let’s practice! Ask the students to pretend you’ve pointed to a place that is safe. Ask the question “Safe or Not Safe?” Correct any poor performance. Now ask the students to pretend you’ve pointed to a place that is not safe. Ask the question “Safe or Not Safe?” Correct any poor performance.
• Explain the reason behind a safe meeting place.  If everyone doesn’t meet at the designated safe meeting place, it may cause an adult to go back into the house and not come back out alive.
  • Begin the “Safe or Not Safe?” game by advancing to the next slide.
    • Safe Places:
      • Mailbox – if not affixed to the house, all can see it, and it is a fixed object.
      • Tree – if not too far away, is a fixed item and away from the house.
      • Fence – is visible for all to see.
    • Not Safe Places:
      • Woods – too far away, and unable to be seen by everyone.
      • Back Yard - a too broad an area, may not be seen as well as a front yard.
      • Vehicle in Driveway – too close to the house, may not be seen if inside.
      • Ask students where their safe meeting place is located and why.

8. Have the students compare the home fire drill planner they completed in the class to the home fire drill planner they completed at home for similarities and differences and list them. Write their answers on the board.

9. Assign students homework to complete and bring back for discussion tomorrow. - See 'Assessment' section.

Fire Safety in the Home - PREVENTION

Ask students to complete the following at home with parents:

• Are there any of the hot objects from our game in your home? If so, where?
• Identify any object that can burn someone and/or start a fire.
• Create a list of hot objects, their location, and bring back to class.

Fire Safety in the Home - DETECTION

Assign students homework to complete and bring back to discuss.

• At home, identify where all the smoke alarms are located, make sure they are less than 10 years old and list on paper.
• Bring back and discuss in class.

Fire Safety in the Home - ESCAPE

Assign students homework to complete and bring back for discussion tomorrow.

• Let's try this at home with an adult:
  • Complete a Home Fire Drill Planner.
  • Conduct a home fire drill.
  • Bring home fire drill planner to class for review.