Get your home safety sorted this Easter half-term

Easter is all about new beginnings, and part of the joy of spring is having a good clear out and getting everything fresh and ready for summer. Half term is a great time to get the kids involved, and AF&RS say that safety should be an important part of the process.

“As parents, utilising the opportunity to pass on lifesaving knowledge to your children is important, but this doesn’t always have to be in a learning environment.

“Don’t underestimate what they will pick up at home from watching you and getting involved in things like practising their escape routes and learning how to stop, drop and roll.”

Meghann Elvin, Prevention Manager at AF&RS

AF&RS say that by far the best way to raise safer adults is to focus on educating your children to keep themselves safe. The Service suggest incorporating fire safety practices into your routines, to embed these in children from a young age.

Meghann added: “We know that time is precious, but teaching your children about safety doesn’t have to take hours. Why not try one of our easy activities?”

AF&RS suggest working on these key practices this Easter half term:

• Do your children know how to escape in the event of a fire? Go around the home and talk about your route to escape (this should be out of the front or back door in the first instance). Try this at different times of the day, and practise for different emergencies such as flooding or fire which may mean taking a different route or approach. If children remember the route correctly, reward them with a special snack or sticker!
• Stop, drop and roll: For an easy way to practise what to do if your clothes catch on fire, try this ‘stop, drop and roll’ game! To start, choose a TV programme or film that you know well. Then, select three words that are said often in the film. For example, in a film about space it might be ‘rocket, moon and star’. Every time a character says ‘Rocket’, jump up and ‘stop’, each time they say ‘moon’, get down and ‘drop’, and each time they say ‘star’, lie down and ‘roll’! You can make up your own words to suit your film, and it’s a great way to get some practice in!