What Younger Students Should Know About Fire

As a teacher and educator, you know that students have a natural curiosity. Unfortunately, this can include a curiosity about fire. To successfully prevent this natural interest from having disastrous results, children must be educated on the dangers of fire.

Most firesetting can be prevented.
Let’s explore several steps that you can take to educate your students and decrease the likelihood that they will become firesetters.

Educate your students about fire facts and safety rules. 

Based on the age and maturity of your students you can vary how in-depth you discuss each topic.
Here are some examples of facts for discussion:

• Because it creates heat, fire is very dangerous and can kill.
• Even small fires can spread very quickly.
• Only adults should use fire and even they need to follow fire safety rules.
• Fire is not a toy, it is a tool that adults use to heat homes and cook foods.
• Lighters that are designed to look like toys should never be used and should be given to an adult immediately.

Control a child’s access to fire.

• Teach students to immediately bring any matches and lighters they find to an adult. 
• Show them what “toy” lighters look like and teach them never to touch them.
• Supervision is key to preventing firesetting. Although you do not see your students outside of school hours, you can provide proper supervision while on the school grounds and report any firesetting activity.

Set a good example for your students. 

Teach students fire safety rules in the classroom as part of the curriculum. 
Practice fire safety in the school to give students real-life examples of safe fire behavior. By following fire safety rules at school you will encourage positive behavior in your students, both at school and at home.

• Install and properly maintain smoke detectors and fire extinguishers throughout the school.
• Review fire escape plans with your students and practice school fire drills.
• Practice fire safety techniques on a daily basis and discuss the reasoning behind the rules with your students.

If you have a student that shows an above-average interest or unusual curiosity about fire, recommend that the student and his parent enroll in a fire safety course. Fire safety courses are particularly beneficial for children with high levels of curiosity about fires. When children witness examples of the devastating effects of fire, they are less likely to experiment.