Fire Safety Activities

Outing:
-Go to your local fire department!  I called ahead (NOT 9-1-1, but the station itself)  and our department told me we could stop by any time.  Your kids will likely visit at some point while in school, too, but as several family members and friends who are firemen have told us, they can't get familiar enough with firemen.  The earlier and the more times they see firemen, the equipment,  and gear, the less afraid they will be if there is a real emergency.  The last thing you would want is for a child to hide from a first responder because they are scared of the way they look or unsure of what is going on. 

 

Activity/Project:

-We picked up a fireman hat from the dollar store and made our own gear at home.  *Warning* these are very basic projects.  As I mentioned, I am completely NON-artistic.  As long as my kids can participate in creating a project and make it their own, and at least partially recognize what it is, I'm happy.  We used an empty pop bottle to make our own fire extinguisher.  My son painted it red himself, then I wrapped a piece of brown packing paper in duck tape and taped it to the mouth of the bottle.  It looks goofy, I know, but he thinks it's great!  I used a long piece of brown packing paper and twisted it up as tight as I could and he used it as a fire hose.  Again, not a pretty toy, but they are having a blast with it!  I love that it helps them use their imaginations.  Lastly, we made an axe by having my son color an empty paper towel tube and then I stapled on two pieces of black construction paper cut to look like the blade of an axe. 

-Get a large box and let your kids paint it red (if you're brave) or color it red to be a fire truck.  Paint cardboard circles or paper plates black and glue them on for wheels.  Create some type of fun lights to glue to the top.  Cut out windows and a door and you have a great fire truck to go with their fire gear.  In my experience, people aren't kidding when they say you can give a child a box and they'll be happy.  Box creations are some of our favorite projects and they get used more than almost any toy we have ever purchased!

-This part needs to be tailored to your child and their age:

Discuss what types of emergencies firemen and paramedics help with.  Discuss gently what your child could expect if there were an emergency (the goal is not to scare them, but to prepare them).  Talk about what to do in an emergency, whether it is a fire, injury, accident or anything else.  Depending on their age, talk about how to get out of the house in an emergency and where to meet as a family.  Talk about 9-1-1.  If your child is ready to learn to use the phone, teach them how to do this.  Use your judgment on how far to go with this.  If you know they'll call it just to see what happens, you may want to wait!  Again, the goal with all of this is to ensure that your child is aware of what they will experience if there is an emergency.