This week, 25 children will die from fire. Every year, more than 1,200 children are killed by home fires, 90% of them in homes without working smoke detectors. Fire and burns are the second leading cause of unintentional death among children. More than 11,000 children are injured from fire each year, two-thirds of them under the age of five.
The Central Ohio Fire Museum & Learning Center and Safe Kids Central Ohio applied for and received funding from Safe Kids Worldwide to develop a fire prevention program. “Now I’m Ready” is a curriculum directed at children 14 and under to prevent fires caused by the improper use of matches and lighters. More than 1,900 children have received education through classroom activities and the learning center.
Now I’m Ready
“Now I’m Ready” consists of a twenty-five minute program that can be taught in the classroom. It utilizes a firefighter instructor, a costumed mascot named BOOTS the Fire Mouse, and a box of tools, toys, matches and lighters. It also includes a pretest and posttest that is given to each child for evaluation purposes.
The following items were sent home with each child:
- Activity coloring book.
- Home fire escape drill to be completed and practiced with their parents.
- A new smoke detector with a spare battery and informational brochure.
- Home detector survey.
- Calendar reminder stickers to test and change batteries.
- Half-off family admission ticket to the Central Ohio Fire Museum & Learning Center.
A secondary part of the program addressed parents of children ages 7 and under. The focus was on homes without smoke alarms and children being left unattended. Parents received smoke alarms and information on burn injuries caused by hot liquids, hot objects, caustic substances, electrical currents and candles.
The program has been presented 97 times to 1,936 children at the Fire Museum and in targeted area schools. More than 1300 smoke detectors and batteries have also been distributed.
For more information, or to visit the Central Ohio Fire Museum & Learning Center
