Stop, Drop, and Roll!: Making Fire Prevention a Little Less Scary

By FPL_Suzanne

October is fire prevention month -- making sure that our homes, schools, and workplaces are protected from fire. We focus on this during October because, in 1922, the National Fire Protection Agency named the second week in October Fire Prevention Week (October 3-9, 2021) to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This fire burned for two days and caused catastrophic damage, loss of life, and left 100,000 people homeless. In order to prevent something like that from happening again, fire fighters began emphasizing fire safety, prevention, and education over the following years.

We all want to be safe at home, school, and work.  Here are some basic safety rules you can teach your children to help make that happen:

  • Tell your kiddos only grownups can use matches, lighters, cook on the stove, and use the oven and microwave. Also, get a grownup right away if they find a match or lighter.
  • When a room fills with smoke, show them how to get low to the ground, keep their head up, and crawl outside to safety.
  • If a piece of their clothing catches fire, show them how to stop, drop, and roll side to side until the fire is smothered.

Here is a list of picture books everyone will enjoy reading to help make this topic a little less scary:

Stop, Drop, and Roll!












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