Preschool Students Learn to Be ‘Fire Smart from the Start’

Students at Rainbow Corner Preschool learned how to be “Fire Smart from the Start” on Thursday.

The Bradford City Fire department made their annual visit to the preschool during Fire Safety and Prevention Month to show students what a firefighter looks like fully dressed in gear, what to do in case of a fire, and how to stop, drop and roll.

Students were also given tours of a fire truck and ambulance.

According to Safe Kids USA approximately 488 children ages 14 and under die in residential fires each year and an average of 116,600 children are injured from a fire/burn-related incident.

“It’s never too early to start teaching children about fire safety,” said Kimberly Engstrom, Rainbow Corner Preschool Director. “There is a difference between scaring students and making them aware of how to be safe.”

Young children almost always associate fire with happy events; campfires, birthday candles, and fireworks. Through age appropriate education, parents and teachers can teach fire safety, how to respond to a smoke detector, to not be afraid of rescue personnel and how to use a home escape plan and safe meeting place.

A study from the National Fire Protection Association shows that children under 5 years of age are at the greatest risk from home fire death and injury; their death rate is nearly twice the national average.

For more information on how your family can be “Fire Smart from the Start” contact the City Fire Department or the local chapter of Safe Kids McKean County at www.careforchildren.info.

Courtesy of CARE for Children