How to Talk to Your Kids About Fire Safety with First Alert

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post.

Our kids are finally old enough that we decided to talk to them about fire safety. It isn’t the most “fun” of topics, but something I highly recommend! 

You never know when or if a fire could happen in your home, and you want your family to be prepared. That’s why I’ve teamed up with First Alert for Fire Prevention Month to share some easy ways you can talk to your kids about fire safety. 

Gather Your Family and Inventory Your Home

This is one activity where you’ll want the whole family involved, so gather them and make a plan! 

Fire Alert makes this step easy with a Whole Home Safety Checklist. It’s a fun, simple activity that shows where, exactly, you should install fire extinguishers and smoke & CO alarms in your home. 

I drew a map of our home, and then we walked around to make sure we had the right protection installed. You should have smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms on every level and in every bedroom of your home! Fire extinguishers should also be on every level and in common areas like the kitchen and garage. 

We installed this 10-Year Sealed Battery Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm in our master bedroom. It has voice alerts which I especially like for our young kids since they might not know or understand right away what the sound of the alarm means. 

It also has a 10-year battery life meaning no battery replacements for the life of the alarm; set a reminder on your phone when you install it to replace your alarm after 10 years, they don’t last forever! 

If you don’t have smoke & CO alarms with 10-year battery life, make sure you are performing regular checks and replacing the batteries at least every 6 months. 

Have Fire Extinguishers & Know How To Use One

We showed the whole family where we keep our fire extinguisher and how to use it in case of a small fire. 

We have this Rechargeable Home Fire Extinguisher that is kept in the pantry by the kitchen. Did you know that the #1 cause of home fires is unattended cooking?! It’s crucial that you keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and that you know how to use it. 

An easy way to remember how to use a fire extinguisher is with the P.A.S.S. acronym:

• P-Pull the pin
• A-Aim the nozzle
• S-Squeeze the trigger
• S-Sweep from side to side 

Make an Emergency Escape Plan

So, what’s the plan in case of an emergency? If you haven’t yet, sit down with your family and make one! 

Show your kids:

• 2 exits out of each room 
• A mutual meeting spot outside of your home that’s a safe distance away 
• How to dial 9-1-1 once safely outside 
• Remind them to stay out until the fire department says it is safe

Practice your plan, too, so that they feel confident in the event there was a true emergency. 

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I hope this post has helped you think about some ways you can talk to your kids about fire safety! You can find First Alert fire safety products at Lowe’s. As part of Fire Prevention Month, @loweshomeimprovement wants to #buildthanks for first responders, doctors and nurses with a 10% discount Oct. 22-24. Register for this special offer at Lowes.com/firstresponders.

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