Fire Safety Lesson Plan

By Pamela Green, MyChoice Programs, Worcester, October 2017

Applies to: Life Skills (Safety), Critical Thinking, Understanding and Participating in Community

Purpose: 

• Outline to develop curriculum for knowing how to react and prevent fires before they start!
• Increase awareness of and learn together about fire hazards and fire safety

Objective:  To double your chances of survival from a fire in your home, have working smoke alarms and a practice home escape plan 

Activity Steps

Use this handy fire prevention checklist below to search for fire hazards in your home.  Correct any hazards you find.

1. Smoking: Try to quit. If you must smoke, then smoke outside.Make sure it is out all the way every time, use deep ashtrays. Keep all lighters and matches in locked or high cabinets away from children.  

2. Cooking:

• STAND BY YOUR PAN!
• Don’t leave food , grease or oils cooking on the stovetop unattended.
• Put a lid on a grease fire to smother it, then turn off the heat.  Never move a hot pan.
• Keep the stovetop and oven clean to avoid grease fires.Remove paper towel, potholder, plastic bags, newspapers and other flammable materials from around the stove.Keep pot handles inward to prevent accidental spills of hot contents.  Unplug appliances when not in use.Enforce a three-foot kid free zone around the stove.  Keep children away while cooking to prevent burns.For fires inside a microwave oroven, keep door closed. 
• Watch Video on how to put out a grease fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VoIMFyUi6Q

3. Around the house:

• Check for cords pinched behind furniture like couches or bureaus.  The wires can heat up and cause a fire.
• Overloaded outlets can cause a fire in the wall, electric cord and/or the appliance.  Be sure to only plug one appliance cord into one electrical outlet.
  Use power strips. They will automatically shutoff if overworked or sudden power surge.  They should only be used with a few low current devices such as electronics.
• Replace cords that are frayed or damaged.  Do not run cords underneath rugs or thru doors is they may overheat due to worn insulation

4. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

• Install a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm on every level of your home and    outside every bedroom.
• Test your alarms monthly.
• Replace batteries twice a year.
• Never disable your alarms.

5. Before an emergency occurs: 

• Please make sure fiefighters can see your house number from the street.  Numbers need to be at least 4 inches in height and facing the street.
• Plan 2 ways out of each room. The easier way out is probably the door and the second way out might be a window.  If the window is over one story do not jump, instead yell for help and wave something out the window so firefighers can see and hear you when they arrive. 
• Please clear 4 feet around your fire hydrants from snow, vegetation or any other obstructions. The life and property you save by doing this may be yours.
• The emergency vehicles need at least 8.5 feet of roadway to pass your streets safely. Please adhere to the parking bans and make sure firefighters have the space needed to safely respond to an emergency.
• In case of an emergency, dial 911.