Fire Safety Tips

• Keep matches, lighters and other heat sources out of children's reach. Playing with matches and lighters is the leading cause of fire deaths for children ages 5 and under.
• Keep flammable items such as clothing, furniture, newspapers or magazines away from the fireplace, heater or radiator.
• Keep all portable heaters out of children’s reach.
• Avoid plugging several appliance cords into the same electrical socket.
• Replace old or frayed electrical wires and appliance cords, and keep them on top of, not beneath rugs.
• Store all flammable liquids such as gasoline outside of the home.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and in every sleeping area. Consider installing both ionization alarms, which are better at sensing flaming fires, and photoelectric alarms, which are better at sensing slow, smoky fires.
• Test smoke alarms monthly. Maintain alarms by replacing batteries at least once a year, and replace alarms every 10 years. Plan and practice two escape routes out of each room of the house. It is important to have an alternate escape route in case one is blocked by fire. Fire drills should be practiced spontaneously throughout the year, as home fires and home fire-related deaths are more likely to occur during cold-weather months, December through February. 
• Keep furniture and other heavy objects out of the way of doors and windows, so they won’t block an escape.
• Designate an outside meeting place, so all members of the family can be accounted for quickly.

• Children should know the sound of the smoke alarm. When they hear it, teach them to: Crawl low under smoke. An estimated three-fourths of childhood fire deaths are caused by the smoke and toxic gases produced as a fire develops and spreads.
• Touch doors before opening them. If the door is hot, use an alternative exit.
• Never go back into a burning building. Children should be reminded not to stop or return for anything, such as a toy or to call 9-1-1 . A call to 9-1-1 should be placed after leaving the premises.
• “Stop, drop and roll." Upon leaving the burning house or building, children whose clothes have caught on fire should immediately stop, drop to the ground and roll themselves back and forth quickly to extinguish the flames.
• Take children to your local fire station for a tour. Children will be able to see a firefighter in full gear and learn that he or she is someone who saves children – not someone to be afraid of or hide from.
• Also, be sure you’re not teaching your children bad habits. Don’t let them see you smoke in bed or disconnect smoke alarm batteries!

• Don’t negotiate. It’s estimated that 75 percent of bicycle-related deaths among children could be prevented with a bicycle helmet.
• Buy a helmet that meets or exceeds current safety standards developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Correct fit is essential. Do the "Eyes, Ears and Mouth" check:

• EYES check: Position the helmet on your head.  Look up and you should see the bottom rim of the helmet (one to two fingers above the eyebrows).
• EARS check:  Make sure the straps of the helmet form a "V" under your ears when buckled.  The strap should be snug but comfortable.
• MOUTH check:  Now open your mouth as wide as you can!  Do you feel the helmet hug your head?  If not, tighten those straps! 

• If your child is reluctant to wear her helmet, try letting her choose her own. Helmets come in many colors and styles – allowing children to choose a helmet that’s “cool” may make them less likely to take it off when you’re not around.
• Talk to other parents and encourage them to have their kids wear helmets. Let your children see that you wear a helmet, too. Children are more likely to wear helmets when riding with others who wear them.

• Cyclists should be restricted to sidewalks and paths until they reach the age of 10 and can demonstrate they know the rules of the road. Supervision is essential until children develop the necessary traffic skills and judgment.
• Make sure your bike has a light and reflectors on the front, back and sides.

• Ride with traffic, not against it. Ride as far to the right as possible.
• Use appropriate hand signals.
• Respect traffic signals. Stop at all stop signs and red lights.
• Stop and look left, right and left again before entering a street.
• Look back and yield to traffic coming from behind before turning left at intersections.
• Don’t ride when it’s dark. If riding at dusk, dawn or in the evening is unavoidable, wear retroreflective material on clothing or bike, and use lights on the bike.

Finally, proper bike fit and maintenance can help prevent injuries. Your child’s feet should reach the ground while sitting on the bike seat. Make sure the reflectors are secure, brakes work properly, gears shift smoothly, and tires are tightly secured and properly inflated. To purchase a helmet for your child, please contact the Stark County SAFE KIDS Coalition at 330-493-9904 x 282. SAFE KIDS sells helmets (all sizes) for $7.00.

New Fire Safety Video

The Stark County SAFE KIDS Coalition has recently produced a fire safety video, geared towards educating parents and adults about fire safety. The funding for "Instilling Positive Fire Safety Reaction" was made possible through a grant from the Community Health Foundation.This 20 minute video demonstrates how to escape a burning home. It discusses the importance of having a fire safety plan, smoke detectors, a fire extinguisher, a fire escape ladder and encourages practicing your plan with your family. The video follows one family as they practice their fire safety plan. Then, it shows the various scenarios for the family escaping the home (via the stairs, down the fire escape ladder, onto the porch roof, out the window). It also discusses the importance of closing bedroom doors at night.This video is dedicated to all the people that have perished in home fires. The demonstrated procedures in the video are to date the most successful means of surviving a fire with little or no injury. It is our hope that by learning and practicing the procedures in this video not a single life will be lost in future home fires. This video is not meant to answer every question or solve every situation that may arise in a home fire. We cannot guarantee anything in a home fire because in a fire, there are no guarantees.To find out more information, to borrow a copy, or to obtain your own copy of the video, please contact Amanda at 330-493-9904, ext. 282.

Bike Safety

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