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Keep Your Family Safe: Teaching Fire Safety to Children

 

November 10, 2022 by primm

In the winter there is nothing nicer than sitting around a cheery fire on a cold day or cuddling under a blanket warm from the dryer. But did you know that about half of all residential fires are reported between December and February every year? Fire safety is an important topic for children of all ages, especially those who live in a home with a fireplace or a clothes dryer. It is never too early or too late to start talking to your kids about fire prevention and what to do in the event of a fire. In this article we will outline the basics of children’s fire safety and provide tips on how you can help protect and empower your family.

Why Is This Important?

If your home contains a fireplace, the risk for a house fire may be obvious. However, residential fires are often started from seemingly innocuous places such as appliances, holiday decorations, or even the wiring running through your walls. According to the National Fire Protection Association, clothes dryers and cooking are two of the biggest causes of residential fires each year. This means your home is at risk even if you do not own a fireplace or outdoor fire pit! In the United States, a house fire occurs on average every 87 seconds, and a house fire can reach temperatures of over 1100 degrees F in less than five minutes. Don’t become a statistic – take action to make sure that every member of your family knows what to do in the event of a fire.

Fire Safety Tips: Start With Prevention

The first step that every homeowner should take to protect their homes and families is ensuring that working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are installed in every bedroom, outside of every sleeping area, and on each floor of your home. Combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are available and are a convenient option to ensure that you have early warning of either issue. After you ensure that your home has adequate smoke detector coverage, what are additional steps that you can take to teach your children fire safety? Read on for more suggestions!

Teach Fire Responsibility

All children have the capacity to learn that fire is dangerous, even if they are still toddlers. Start by teaching “hot” and “no touch” for fireplaces, stoves, matches, lighters, candles, and space heaters. In addition, ensure that younger children are kept at least three feet away from any heat source, and consider adding a physical barrier like a gate if your child is mobile. Even young children are able to recognize the sound of the smoke alarm – make sure they know that this means danger, and know what to do.

For older children, start talking with them about how house fires start and spread, and point out the risks around your household such as the stove, fireplace, and clothes dryer. There are many videos available online that have helpful visuals on how house fires spread – watch a few together and talk about what you see. Many children are not able to grasp how quickly and easily a fire can spread if they have not seen it, and videos are a great, safe place to start.

Home Fire Drills

One of the most important things you can do to help your family respond quickly and safely in the event of a house fire is to conduct fire drills in your home. That’s right; just like they do in schools! This is a tried-and-true method of increasing your chances of escaping a burning building safely. The practice is very important since in an emergency it can be difficult to remember plans and actions that you have never physically done before.

To get the kids excited about this practice, involve them in the planning! Identify a safe outdoor area as a gather point for family members who have escaped the building, and emphasize “don’t hide, go outside” to your children. You can draw a map of your home and have them trace the routes in fun colors, stir up some friendly competition in a “race to escape”, and provide some special toys or treats afterwards as a prize for completing the drill. Practice your home fire drills once a month with your children and they will be significantly more likely to remember how to escape and where to go.

Clear Action Steps

As we discussed earlier, it can be hard to remember what to do if your brain is in panic mode during an emergency. Having clear, concise action steps for your children to memorize can be a huge help in the event of a fire. We are all familiar with “stop, drop, and roll” and this is a fun one to practice with the whole family! “Don’t hide, get outside” is another easy phrase to remember, and you can create your own songs or phrases to remind them of the important things to know.

Check for Danger

Does your child know how to test a door to determine if there is a fire outside? Grabbing the knob without checking can result in nasty burns to their hands, as the doorknobs often conduct much more heat than the door itself. Practice testing doors with the back of their hand, and discuss what it means if the door feels warm or hot.

In The Dark

In a residential fire, the smoke can often be so thick that it is impossible to see your way out of a room. Though your home is your most familiar environment, it is tricky to navigate your way around without being able to see what is around you. Practice feeling your way to your exit points with your eyes closed or with a blindfold on so your children know what to expect if they cannot see to find their way.

Trust the Firemen

Even though firemen are a much-beloved childhood hero, the reality of a fireman in full gear can be much scarier. Children are often harder to find in a fire as they will naturally hide in scary situations, and they may not come out if they are frightened of the full body suit, hood, and mask. But did you know that most fire stations are fine with you dropping in with your children to learn more in-person? As long as they are not called out on an emergency, almost all firemen are happy to teach your children more about fire safety. If your child can watch a fireman put on the suit and take it off again to reveal a perfectly normal person, they will be much less frightened of them if they encounter a fireman during an emergency.

Key Takeaways

We hope that this article has helped you to feel more prepared to discuss fire safety with your children. The most important tips are to practice your home fire drills regularly, to ensure that everyone in the household has a clear plan in case of emergency, and to ensure that all of the necessary prevention steps are taken to ensure that your home is as safe as possible from the risk of any fire. Did you know that your dryer vent is one of the parts of your home that is most at risk of fire? Schedule an inspection with us today to make sure that your family is protected!

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Google Rating
4.2
Based on 61 reviews
Black Goose Chimney
Black Goose Chimney
4.2
mk corbin
Work for a Keller Williams agency. Needed a chimney repair on a house closing the following day. Black Goose was able to check it out the day I called and are able to make repairs the following day! Mike the tech, MORE then helpful as was Lois in the office. I highly recommend them for your chimney and fireplace needs!!
Sovonia Golden
Miriam Kotsonis
Super helpful and knowledgeable staff!
Levi Collins
Mrs. Karen was wonderful and got us scheduled right away, the service team was excellent and professional. Mr. Jim ordered our part and it came the next week, nice lady called me and they scheduled it for the very next day. I HIGHLY recommend this company for there excellent attention to detail, customer service that makes you feel like family, and quick response time.
robandpathy S
Excellent Service
William Mace
If I could give negative stars I would! These guys jerked my 80 year old mother around during Christmas when it was freezing. Someone told Mom to call these guys because the furnace was venting into the basement. A dude looking like Bob Marley shows up and says he can't fix it or even look at it because we have slate roof and they need special equipment to get up there. Ok. I get it. When can you come back? Someone will call you. No. No one called me. I called the next week. By this time mom had to sleep downstairs in front of fireplace to stay warm. I called. Dude on phone said he didn't know anything about it but would get back to me day after New Years. He didn't. I called again on Wednesday. No one answered. I left a message. Nothing.
Al Budaszewski
I had my fireplace serviced recently. They were able to restore full function to my gas fireplace and remote control without replaccing any components. They are honest, thorough, and I would do business with them again.
Skip Savell
Dorethea Johnson
They attempted to charge me an absorbent amount for money a fireplace chain cover. They qouted a me the price for it. They didn't have it in stock. When It came in. They had changed the price by more than double.
Kyle Russell
I seen a employee hit another vehicle on 64 and keep driving. Wouldn't want that integrity working at my house.
William Chandler
Very professional and thorough.
Jory Morrison
Frances McCoy-Brown
From the person answering the phone and scheduling my appointment. To the two men who came out and did a chimney check were very courteous and professional. I was provided with information that would help me make an informed decision. There was no hard sell ! I would recommend them.
Yvonne Richardson
Had my chimney and firebox repaired. they did the work in very reasonable time and did a very good job. Were on time and were respectful, courteous and professional. Cleaned up nicely also. The lady in the office was very friendly and helpful.
Fran Spady
The gentlemen were professional and left my home clean. They were thorough in their inspection and answered our questions. They took pictures so we could see repairs. He wrote up more than one bid so we could take care of the necessities first. There was no hard sell or pushing to purchase.Thank you Black Goose. I have a new chimney sweep!
Bridget Sims
Brian Lucas
I paid them to perform a diagnostic on my gas logs that were not lighting. The Tech determined I have a faulty valve and told me the office would look up the part and send me a quote to replace it. That was nearly three months ago. I called the office twice during that time to remind them and got the run-around. Don’t waste your time on this company.
Amanda Wroten
Ken Nelson
Pauretta Banks
Love my fire place! They did a great job and made sure I was satisfied before they left.
Wayne Sears
Tom Jowers
High prices but as the old saying goes "you get what you pay for." In this case, quality service.
John Sims
This company helped fix our chimney after a very scary fire we had. Great quality work and very professional crew
Pamela Mason
Black Goose Chimney did a superb job for us. Their technician Joe is a pleasure to work with and is not only professional and polite, but does fantastic work! On time, great workmanship and a pleasure to work with - what more can you ask for. I would recommend BlacK Goose Chimney to anyone.
Deborah Hill
Michael Chase
What a great team. Highly professional, knowledgable and no nonsense tell it like it is workers. Sergey is a master brick layer and technician. I will not use anyone else when it comes to brick and chimney work.The owner, Jim and Kathy, front office, are absolutely great to work with. I highly reccommend this company.
William Marx
The terracota liner to the oil boiler had broken after 50 years. Jim came out and gave an estimate and managed to promptly get a crew here on a Saturday to replace it with a steel liner. The crew, Sergei and Michael, arrived on time and were quite polite, efficient and neat. The left the house in better shape than when they arrived. They took care that the 5 month old puppy was kept away from the repair materials. Michael went so far as to clear the entire roof of pine needles, not just the area he was working. Greatly appreciated. They truly went the extra mile!
Selina Tyler
James Simone
Wanted to charge a $99.00 service call for an estimate. Other companies came for free
Sean B
Don Lovis
They came out to do a dryer vent sweep. They quoted me 800.00 labor for 2 hours to fix one dryer pipe 10 ft long. Hired another company and charged 75.00. I will never use them again
Anthony Cronin Jr
Very ProfessionalShared Concern To Apply Money To Return Maximum Value With Highest Quality!
Wayne Booth
Called today to schedule cleaning two chimneys. The price they quoted was more than double other places I called. And they were booked out three weeks. The company I scheduled with was six weeks out. It was worth the wait.
Peter Henrie
Very disappointed with my experience with this company. I called to get a quote for a gas stove installed. They sent their employee who charged me $100 to quote me, this wasn't told to me on the initial call, only at the end of the onsite visit to quote. I was told it would be removed from cost of the installation however they were unresponsive to calls and emails multiple times afterwards that I gave up moving forward with them. Would sadly not recommend.
billd354
Used this company about 6 or 7 years ago for a new crown and mortar joint work. Felt they did a good job. Tried to get them to do more work, however after sending me a confirmation phone call that they would be there, they cancelled at the last minute. They did call me and tell me that a person called in sick, so I asked if the next time I schedule that they guarantee no matter what, they meet their appointment obligations. The person would not and so other person called me back, who also would not. They obviously gave preferential treatment to some customers, because they didn't get cancelled. This person told me a different story, that the person was in a car accident the previous day. Then why didn't they call me first thing in the morning? This person also would not guarantee that they would definitely be there on the reschedule. If you live on the southside, you can expect to be the first to be cancelled. Which was it? Sick, car accident, or just didn't want to drive through the tunnel because both people I talked to wanted to give me to their competitors.
Chris Burrell
The guys that came to the house were great!! Highly recommend!!!
Nikki Edgerton
Tim Pratt
Jerry Fortner
Enjoying another early season fire watching football thanks to Blue Goose Chimney. Great system been years we have been able to enjoy our fireplace!Jerry FortnerPoquoson, VA
I C
Barry Hughes
Very frustrated in dealing with the office of this business. My chimney inspection was completed on the 18th of October and I called last week and then sent an email and kristin responded on the 11th of November and said she would have something by the 13th. It's now the 15th and nothing. Not right at all.if you can't
kathryn howard
I have used Black Goose for over 15 years. I needed serious work to our fireplace and chimney which they took care of and they have been out to inspect and or sweep every year since. They are always timely and fair. They only sweep about every other year so I'm not charged a sweep, it's based on how much we have used the fireplace. We have had no problems at all since the repair and I only have them to thank.
Rhonda Saunders
These guys are very professional and they know there stuff. Very honest and trustworthy
Wesley Stilson
Great service. Sergey and his helper showed up during the allotted time. They did a full inspection of my wood stove to ensure it was installed correctly to code. they did a full borescope inspection of the stove pipe and chimney pipe and found one sheet metal screw that was installed incorrectly. they fixed it and did a full sweep. They cleaned up their mess and provided me input on when to have them back for another sweep. Top notch service. They will not disappoint.
Eric Marsalis
Marilyn Keener
I highly recommend Black Goose Chimney. They arrived on time and did an excellent cleaning job. I found them to be very knowledgeable and professional. I would not hesitate to use them again.
Jeffrey Sheffield
Trustworthy, prompt, and professional. Couldn't ask for a better experience.
Adam Russell
Expert technicians, receptionists needs some work though. Completely satisfied all the same.
Ellen Charles
We had a knowledgeable chimney sweep come and inspect our fireplace and chimney. We knew that our fireplace had a bad back wall and knew there maybe some problems with the chimney. He explained what needed to be done and the cost. They had two very nice guys come and do the repairs. They worked well together and cleaned up afterwards. They showed my husband pictures of what they did to the chimney. From the time I called setup an appointment and the work being completed was about 8 days.
Jeff Prunier
The team at Black Goose Chimney took care of my fireplace and my wood stove with courtesy and professionalism! I highly recommend them. Not only did they put a new chimney cap on and replace the mortar, they answered all my questions and made sure I was confident in preparing a fire. Don't delay, call today!
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