COURSE: Fire Safety Course For Resource Families
Lesson Two: Practice! Practice! Practice!
Copyright by the Alaska Center for Resource Families, 2006
Printable Version of Lesson Two
(NOTE: This is the printable version of Lesson Two only. Please go to First Page of Lesson One and Lesson Three to download the printable version of those chapters.)
In Lesson 2, you will learn...
- Why and how to complete a fire escape plan
- How to conduct an effective fire drill
- How to use your fire extinguisher
Lesson Two: Practice! Practice! Practice!
Why Fire Safety Is So Important With Children
Ask yourself why it might be especially important for foster parents to talk to children about fire safety and practice fire drills. Also, ask yourself what puts out children more are risk during an emergency. Write your answers on a separate piece of paper.
Why is it important to talk to foster children about safety?
What puts these children more are risk for harm during an emergency?
Why Planning Ahead Is Especially Important for Children
Compare your answers you wrote in the exercise above with the answers listed out below and read more why practicing fire safety is especially important for resource families.
Why Children Especially Need Good Fire Safety Education....
A child may be hard to wake from a deep sleep or may not recognize what the smoke alarm sounds like. They may hide under the covers or just go back to sleep.
A child may be hard to wake from a deep sleep or may not recognize what the smoke alarm sounds like. They may hide under the covers or just go back to sleep.
Children in our care often have special needs and may be harder to move from place to place. They may be overstimulated or overwhelmed by the sound of the smoke alarm.
When children come into a foster home, they are an unfamiliar home. During the panic of a fire or emergency, they may forget where the door is or how to get out if they haven't practice.
Children may bring firesetting behaviors into the home, giving us the double challenge of keeping all family members safe but also addressing the firesetting behaviors in the children.
What about Adults?
What about you? Do you know how to work your fire extinguisher? Do you know how you’ll react when woken in the middle of the night? Do you know if your kids in their deep sleep will be able to hear the smoke alarm? What happens if they can’t? Where will you all find each other if you get out of the house separately? Adults need to practice too!
This lesson will help you look at what makes an effective escape plan, how to conduct an effective fire drill and how to use your fire extinguisher.
Planning Your Fire Escape
Before you can practice your fire escape plan, you have to develop one and you have to teach it to your children.
Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms, and advance planning—a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced.
Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. The Office of Children's Services uses an escape plan grid that helps resource families plan their escape routes. You can open and print at by clicking on Fire Escape Planner.
As you walk through your house, make sure escape routes are clear and doors and windows can be opened easily. Sometime windows in Alaska freeze up and jam in winter time, so check to make sure that all windows that are used as escape routes can be opened easily by children. Make sure smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and fire escape ladders are working and you and your children know how to use them.
Choose two escape routes out of each room, in case fire or smoke blocks an exit.
If your escape plan includes an escape ladder, practice using it from a first floor window. Store the ladder near the window, in an easily accessible location. You don't want to have to search for it during a fire!
Choose an outside meeting place a safe distance in front of your home where everyone can meet after they've escaped.
Have everyone memorize the emergency phone number of the fire department in order to call from a neighbor's home or a cell phone once outside.
Under no circumstances should you ever go back into a burning building. If someone is missing, inform the fire department dispatcher when you call. Firefighters have the skills and equipment to perform rescues.
Practicing Your Fire Escape Plan
Practice your escape plan and discuss different scenarios with your children. Just don't talk about it-- do it! Children need to practice. They need to recognize the sound of the smoke detector. They need to recognize when smoke and heat may make their first choice of exit unsafe. They need to know what to do in case you are not able to reach them.
Niki Pereira, a former fire fighter and a fire education specialist in Anchorage, developed the following fire escape plans to teach families the essential of a good fire escape plan. One is when you can use your planned exits. The second scenario is when your exits are blocked.
FIRE ESCAPE SCENARIO #1: You are sleeping with your bedroom door closed to protect you from smoke and heat. You awaken to the sound of your smoke alarm in the middle of the night.
Following is an effective response to this scenario. Read through each of the steps carefully.
1. Roll out of bed. Stay low on the floor. Smoke and heat always rises. If the smoke has dropped down to four feet above the floor, it may be up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit at the floor. Move fast and crawl low where the cooler air will be.
2. Crawl to your closed bedroom door. You want to stay beneath any smoke that may be in the room. Cooler air will be closer to the floor.
3. Feel the cracks around the door for heat. Look for smoke coming through the door. The door itself will probably not get warm. Nor will the door handle. The most likely place for heat to come through will be the crack around the door, the door jamb.
4. If you feel no heat and see no smoke, open it just a crack. Keep your faces away from the door to keep from getting burned. If no smoke or heat comes in, look out and see if it’s clear to go. (If you feel heat coming through the cracks, it is not safe to open the door and go out your first exit. Crawl to your second way out…your bedroom window. Make sure you can open your windows all year long.)
5. Crawl to the nearest door to the outside and get out! Once you are out, stay out! Do not go back in for possessions or family members.
6. Go to your preassigned meeting space. The whole family needs to know where to meet ahead of time. If you live in an area where it is very cold, make sure your meeting place is a warm building or house that you’ll be able to get in to.
7. Call the fire department or your emergency number. If you are the first one at the meeting place, it's your job to make the call or get help. If you live where it’s cold, your meeting place might be the nearest neighbor’s house where you can also use the phone to call for help.
Here is another fire escape scenario put together by Niki Pereira. This time, you can't get out of fire by your regularly planned exits!
FIRE ESCAPE SCENARIO #2: You are sleeping with your bedroom door closed to protect you from smoke and heat. You awaken to the sound of your smoke alarm in the middle of the night. This time, you are trapped in your bedroom. Your bedroom door will be blocked by heat and smoke and you can’t get out your window…you can’t get out!
Following is an effective response to this scenario. Again, read each step carefully.
1. Roll out of bed. Stay low on the floor. Smoke and heat always rises. If the smoke has dropped down to four feet above the floor, it may be up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit at the floor. Move fast and crawl low where the cooler air will be.
2. Crawl to your closed bedroom door. Remember, the air may be cooler and less toxic near the floor!
3. Feel the cracks around the door for heat and look for smoke. The door itself will probably not get warm. The door handle may also not get warm. The most likely place for heat to come through will be the crack around the door and the door jamb. Use the back of your hand to feel.
4. There is warm air coming in around the door. Keep the door closed! In this case, it is not safe to open the door and go out your first exit. Crawl to your second way out…your bedroom window.
5. Crawl to your second way out…your bedroom window. You can’t get out your window because it is too high off the ground and you have no ladder.
6. Keep crawling and stay low to the ground. Stay calm and think! Look for places where smoke is coming in. It might be coming in under the door or cracks in the floor.
7. Stuff clothing or bedding in the places where smoke is coming in. Buy yourself as much time as you can and keep the smoke out of the room for as long as you can.
8. Hang something light colored out the window such as a sheet or clothing. The fire department or others coming to help from the outside will see this and know someone is trapped in the room. It’s not normal to see clothing or bedding hanging from a window. So others will recognize there’s something wrong.
9. If you have a phone in your bedroom, call someone! Call your emergency number to let them know you’re trapped in the room. If you know that there are members of your family still inside, let the firefighters know immediately who is left inside and what part of the house they are probably in.
10. Stay close to the floor and keep out in the open. Firefighters will find you easier if you’re out in the open. This is a good reason to keep your room clean! If the firefighters ever need to find you, they won’t be digging through toys and clothes not able to find you!
11. Wait for the firefighters. If the air gets too bad on the floor, go to the window and try to breathe fresh air from the outside until someone comes to get you.
Again, discuss these scenarios with your children. And Practice! Practice! Practice!
A Fire Drill With The Millers
Let’s review an effective fire drill by tagging along on a fire drill with The Miller family and their two sons Sean and Jimmy.
(NOTE: YOU WILL NEED TO GO ONLINE TO COMPLETE THIS ACTIVITY)
Practicing An Effective Fire Drill: To experience how one family prepares for practicing their fire escape plan, follow along with Jimmy and Sean Miller and their family by clicking on Escape with the Miller Family and follow along with this short slide show presented by the National Fire Protection Association.
(Or click on http://www.sparky.org/miller_escape/m_escape_1.html )
Now, conduct a fire drill with your family within the next week. If you haven't reviewed your safety escape plan for awhile, use this this opportunity to talk with your children and other family members about how to get out alive.
A great resource for parents includes the video Fire Drills: What Every Parent Should Know available through the Alaska Center for Resource Families and the National Fire Protection Association. It follows four families and how they learn that just talking about what to do in a fire is not the same as practicing what to do.
Fire Drills and Fire Safety With Individuals with Disabilities
Families with individuals with disabilities have special issues when thinking about preparing for a escape from a fire at home. Planning ahead of time is particularly important. Think about what your child needs in order to get out, keep safe or get noticed. Plan, prepare and practice!
Young Children: When afraid, children commonly seek sheltered places such as a closet or under the bed. Encourage them to exit outside. Do not allow them to hide. Make sure children can operate the windows, descend a ladder, or lower themselves to the ground through a window. Lower children to the ground before you exit from the window. They may panic and not follow if an adult goes first.
Have children practice saying the fire department number, the family name, and street address into the phone.
If you have more than one small child or baby in your home, have them sleep in the room near an adult’s. There is adaptive equipment available that is used by hospitals and works as a giant apron to transport babies in a hurry. If you specialize in babies and often have more babies than arms, think about what you need to do to transport them in a hurry.
Hypersensitive and Easily Stimulated Children. For hypersensitive and easily stimulated children, unplanned fire drills can be very upsetting. Fire drills at school may be particularly disturbing with the confusion, noise and movement. If your child may have problems, talk to the teacher about warning you about fire drills. Sometimes a buddy can be assigned to a child to help him or her be successful. Sometimes children may need to stay at home if it is too disturbing.
At home, help your child learn to recognize the sound of the alarm and have some time to get used to it. When you practice your fire alarms, warn your child ahead of time and let him or her see you press the alarm. For a very sensitive child, let them cover their ears at first and gradually take their hands away to get used to the sound.
Children with disabilities: Plan specifically around the special needs of the child in care. For an individual with visual impairments, using an alarm that uses flashing lights can help or assign someone in a nearby room to be responsible for the person. If children are mentally impaired, again arrange for their sleeping area to be near someone who can help and practice your drill more frequently.
If the person or child is in a wheelchair, then you need to help the child learn how to get to the ground in case of a fire. If a person catches on fire and is unable to STOP, DROP, and ROLL, you may need to teach how to smother a flame with a blanket or teach others in the house to use a blanket to smother the flames.
Teach the basic information about what to do if you are trapped, such as stay out in the open, get as low as possible and let someone know where you are. You may choose to have an emergency whistle in their room or place a light near the window.
This is also a good time to re-emphasize the importance of sleeping with the door closed to give more protection in case of a fire. A person with physical disabilities may not be able to get quickly over to the door to shut it, so having it closed in the first place may be a literal lifesaver.
For more information about emergency planning for families members with disabilities, visit the American Red Cross website. The Red Cross has developed a listing of reference for individuals with disabilities. (http://www.prepare.org/disabilities/disabilities.htm)
Knowing How To Use A Fire Extinguisher
All licensing foster homes need to have a fire extinguisher on each level located in a convenient and easily accessible place. But how many of us have had to actually use our fire extinguishers? We may honestly not know that fire extinguishers are made to put out different kinds of fires and that there is a correct way to operate you’re your fire extinguisher.
The goal of this activity is to know how fire extinguishers work, how to use a fire extinguisher and how to use the PASS system, and what kind of maintenance is needed. Read this short article on how to understanding and effectviely use a fire extinguisher.
Understanding and Using A Fire Extinguisher
Excerpted from the Mt. Pleasant, Michigan homepage at http://www.mt-pleasant.org/depts/fire/extinguish.htm and from Fire Extinguishers 101 at http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/using.html
Studies show that from the time a fire starts, a person has less than four minutes to escape the overcoming effects of smoke, poisonous gases or superheated air. A fire extinguisher is your best defense against small, contained fires that have just begun to burn. Extinguishers can control flames until the fire department arrives, and buy you enough time to get out of a burning structure.
What's Your Type of Fire Extinguisher?
Every type of extinguisher is designed to fight a certain class or classes of fire. There are four classes which are determined by the type of fuel. Learning to identify these classes will help you select the right fire extinguisher. Using the wrong type of fire extinguisher can cause a fire to spread and place you in greater danger.
Type A extinguishers fight ordinary combustibles such as burning wood, cloth, paper, rubber, upholstery and plastics.
Type B extinguishers fight flammable liquids, gases and greases such as oils, paints and gasoline.
Type C extinguishers fight energized electrical fires such as burning wires, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery and appliances.
Type D extinguishers are used on fires caused by combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium, potassium and aluminum. This type of extinguisher must match the type of metal that is burning for safety and maximum effectiveness. A list of metals that match the unit's extinguishing agent should be on the label.
There are also multipurpose fire extinguishers that can be used on type A, B and C classes of fire.
Here are the most common types of fire extinguishers:
- Water extinguishers or APW extinguishers (air-pressurized water) are suitable for class A fires only. Never use a water extinguisher on grease fires, electrical fires or class D fires - the flames will spread and make the fire bigger! Water extinguishers are filled with water and pressurized with oxygen. Again - water extinguishers can be very dangerous in the wrong type of situation. Only fight the fire if you're certain it contains ordinary combustible materials only.
- Dry chemical extinguishers come in a variety of types and are suitable for a combination of class A, B and C fires. These are filled with foam or powder and pressurized with nitrogen.
- BC - This is the regular type of dry chemical extinguisher. It is filled with sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate. The BC variety leaves a mildly corrosive residue which must be cleaned immediately to prevent any damage to materials.
ABC - This is the multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher. The ABC type is filled with monoammonium phosphate, a yellow powder that leaves a sticky residue that may be damaging to electrical appliances such as a computer. Dry chemical extinguishers have an advantage over CO2 extinguishers since they leave a non-flammable substance on the extinguished material, reducing the likelihood of re-ignition.
To meet foster care licensing standards, you should have at least one fully charged fire extinguisher (2A:10BC dry chemical fire extinguisher) strategically located on each level of the house.
What's the PASS?
To use an extinguisher safely, stand six to eight feet from the fire with your back to an unblocked exit and use the PASS procedure:
- Pull the safety pin at the top of the extinguisher. (Some units have latches or levers instead.)
- Aim the nozzle, horn or hose at the base of the flames. Hold the extinguisher vertically to ensure the unit will have enough pressure.
- Squeeze or press the handle to release the extinguishing agent. Contents empty fast.
- Sweep from side to side at the base of the fire and at least six inches past the edges of the flames until completely extinguished.
A typical fire extinguisher contains 10 seconds of extinguishing power. This could be less if it has already been partially discharged. Always read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher beforehand and become familiarized with its parts. It is highly recommended by fire prevention experts that you get hands-on training before operating a fire extinguisher. Most local fire departments offer this service.
Once the fire is out, don't walk away! Watch the area for a few minutes in case it re-ignites. Recharge the extinguisher immediately after use.
Keep in a Location Near You
Keep extinguishers close to high-traffic areas, in easy-to-access locations. Place extinguishers on wall brackets no higher than five feet from the floor. Install them near exists and hazard areas. Keep one on each level of the dwelling, in the garage, and near the doors of furnace and mechanical rooms.
It's About Time
Acting fast can make the difference between and small fire and one that consumes your whole building. Before fighting a fire, be certain that everyone has been alerted to the fire and is leaving the building, and that the fire department has been called. Fight the fire only if the fire is small and contained, a correct type of extinguisher is within easy reach, and you are near a clear exit in case you need to escape.
Ready for Inspection
After each use, service rechargeable units and replace disposable models immediately. Check pressure gauges and carbon dioxide containers monthly. Inspect all containers on a regular basis looking for damage, corrosion or tampering. Make sure extinguishers are easy to remove from hooks or wall brackets. Maintain inspection records of usage and service. Records are helpful after a fire to prove to insurance companies that extinguishers were all serviced and in working order.
Fire Safety First! |
- Practice fire prevention.
- Install and maintain fire extinguishers.
- Learn to operate extinguishers properly.
- Remember that extinguishers have limits.
- When in doubt, get out and leave the firefighting to the professionals.
|
Review of Lesson Two
Review your knowledge of Lesson Two by taking this Review Quiz.
1. What should you teach your child to do if he is sleeping and wakened by the sound of smoke alarm?
a. Run quickly to Mom and Dad's room before the smoke is too bad
b. Roll out of bed and stay close to the floor
c. Call 911
d. Crawl out the window and go to the prearranged meeting place
2. If you are unable to get out of your room due to smoke and fire, which of the following should you do?
a. Crawl under the bed to hide from the fire
b. Make a dash for it through the smoke
c. Hang some light clothing outside your window to let someone know you are there
d. Go back to sleep
3. When using a fire extinguisher, the lesson advises using the PASS procedure. What does PASS stand for?
a. Point, Aim, Spray, Sweep
b. Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep
c. Pull, Aim, Spray, Soak
d. Present, Angle, Set, Spray
4. Which of the following statements is NOT true about fire extinguishers?
a. Fire extinguishers have limits. Fight the fire only if it is small
b. Only fight a fire if you are in a clear exit in case you need to escape
c. Using the wrong fire extinguishers can cause a fire to spread
d. Most fires can be put out by a fire extinguisher
5. When practicing with a safety ladder with children during the fire drill, which of the following is true?
a. You should practice going out the first story of the home.
b. You should practice going out of the second story of the home during the drill.
c. You should store it in a hallway closet so it doesn’t get all tangled up.
d. Talk to the kids about how to use the ladder, but you don’t need to practice.
CORRECT ANSWERS:
1. b. Roll out of bed and stay close to the floor
2. c. Hang some light clothing outside your window to let someone know you are there
3. b. Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep
4. d. Most fires can be put out by a fire extinguisher
5. a. You should practice going out the first story of the home.
In this section, you learn about the important of developing safety plans, practicing fire drills with children and knowing how to use your fire extinguisher. In Lesson Three, you will learn more about children who use fire. Click here to continue to LESSON THREE.