Stay Safe During Fire Prevention Month
Every day, at least one child dies from a home fire, and every hour about 14 children are injured from fires or burns. October is Fire Prevention Month, and the staff of Greenville Fire/Rescue have planned several programs and events to help educate the children in our community about the importance of being prepared for an emergency.
Teaching your child how to respond during a fire is an essential part of ensuring they remain safe. Though it may seem like something that can never happen to you and your family, the truth is that it can happen to anyone. There is no such thing as being too prepared for an emergency.
The following activities are perfect ways to create discussions with your child about fire safety, and the importance of having a plan in case of an emergency. All of the crafts were found at www.dltk-kids.com.
Dalmatian Dog Toilet Paper Roll
You can either make the Dalmatian with the fire hat (for a fire man’s helper) or without. The dalmatian toilet paper roll craft is a fun and easy cut and paste craft that uses a toilet paper roll as a base to give it a three dimensional effect.
Materials:
- toilet paper roll or cardboard tube
- a printer
- glue
- scissors
- something to color with
- a piece of paper
Instructions:
- Print out the craft template of choice — Color or B&W
- Color (if using the black and white version of the craft) and cut out the template pieces.
- Glue the large rectangular piece on first to cover the tube. Toilet paper rolls come in different sizes, so if you find the rectangle is a bit too big, just trim it down. If you find it’s a bit too small, just cut out another small piece to fill in the gap.
- Glue on the head, fire hat, legs and tail (using the tab to make a 3D effect).
- We typically make the crafts as if they’re sitting up on their haunches as it’s easier to construct them and my children are young. However, you can make them so they stand on all 4’s (use a straw, cardboard, toothpick or stir stick glued to the back of the legs for extra support).
Fire Engine Puzzle
The template can be used as a puzzle, or can be laminated together and used as a placemat. The Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children offers lamination as part of our Parent Plus Resource Room membership. Call us at 252-758-8885 to learn more!
Instructions:
- Print out the puzzle template.
- Cut out a piece of corrugated cardboard the same size as your template (8 1/2 x 11 ish). Glue your page onto it.
- ADULT: Using sharp scissors or exacto knife, cut out the cardboard along the puzzle template lines.
- You could also choose to laminate the puzzle template after printing it, and then cut it apart so that it is more durable.
Fire Fighters Paper Dolls
This is a simple cut and paste paper craft that can be done “just for fun”, for a fire safety theme or for a community helpers theme. There are a few different dolls you can dress up — make your favorite or create a whole crew of fire fighters!
Templates:
- Fire fighter 1 — color or B&W
- Fire fighter 2 — color or B&W
- Fire fighter 3 — color or B&W
- Fire fighter outfits color or B&W
Materials:
- something to color with if using the B&W version
- scissors
- glue
- paper
- printer
Instructions:
- Print out the craft template of choice.
- Color and cut out the template pieces.
- Glue the fire fighters together in the following order:
- boots
- pants
- jacket
- helmet
- hose in one hand
- axe in the other
Additional Activities
Check out the links below for more interactive ways to teach your child about fire safety!
Resources from SafeKids Worldwide
Cooking Safety Checklist
- Download the Cooking Safety Checklist that has all our tips for keeping you and your little ones safe while cooking.
Fire Safety Infographic
- Did you know that working smoke alarms reduce the chance of dying in a home fire by half? Our fire safety infographic has this and lots of other facts about fire safety.
Start Safe: Fire
- Start Safe: Fire is a program that has tons of resources to teach young children about fire safety. We’ve got videos, lesson plans and activity sheets that educators can use to teach a whole classroom or a parent can use to teach one child. See all that we’ve got here.
Top Tips For Parents
We know that more fires start in the kitchen than anywhere else in the home, but while we’re thinking about fire safety, we want to give you information on other ways that fires can start, too. There are so many topics related to fire safety that we’ve divided our tips into a few different sections.