Fire Safety Taught Early

The Prescott Fire Department Visits Local Preschools

The earlier fire safety skills are taught to a child, the better. To help make sure every member of the family is prepared for a fire emergency – including toddlers and preschoolers- parents and caregivers should talk to their young children about fire safety and practice basic skills at home.

“The most important thing that parents can teach their children is to know two ways out of the house, and to practice these two ways,” said Len DeJoria, Fire Inspector and Coordinator of Public Education at the Prescott Fire Department. “Families should also have a designated outdoor place to meet if an emergency were to happen, and practice going to it.”

The Prescott Fire Department staff and firefighters regularly visit school and preschool classrooms to teach children about fire safety. “During our presentations, we strive to make an impact on kids so that if they’re in an emergency situation, they’ll remember what to do,” said DeJoria. “Hopefully, they will remember the skills we teach them all their lives.”

In a fire emergency, it is important for children to run towards, not away from, firefighters. “With the bulky suit and the Darth Vader-like voice, young children can be scared of firefighters and hide from them,” said DeJoria. During their presentation, the Fire Department allows the children to see and meet a firefighter in full gear.

The Del E. Webb Family Enrichment Center, a child care center and preschool in Prescott for children ages five and under, has invited firefighters to visit their classrooms. Tammy Lee, Master Teacher at the center, said that showing a firefighter in full gear is especially helpful for her preschoolers. “[The firefighter] introduced all the different pieces of clothing he has to wear and the reasons they protect him. He proceeded to put on the articles of clothing and explained to the children to not be afraid if they ever seen someone in this uniform- that they are there to help us when there is a fire,” said Lee.

Some of the other skills the Fire Department teaches, which parents and caregivers are encouraged to practice with their kids, include:

· Stop, drop and roll

· Crawl low under smoke

· Testing smoke detectors (letting children hear the smoke detector sound and making sure they know that it is a signal to leave the house)

For more tips and skills, Fire Inspector DeJoria also recommends that parents of young children visit the U.S. Fire Department Administration website, which includes a pre-K fire safety curriculum designed by Sesame Street. For educators that are interested in bringing in the Fire Department to offer a training to children, the Prescott Fire Department public education division can be reached at (928)-777-1765.