Teaching Children to Use a Fire Extinguishers
Children are always curious learners. They are eager to learn about items that are needed in case of an emergency or items that they see, but should not touch. Fire extinguishers are one of the bright red products that most parents tell their children to “leave alone” in the store. Instead of avoiding extinguishers, parents and educators should teach children how to use one in an emergency situation.
- Allow the child to see, touch and feel the fire extinguisher. Once children know that it is not a forbidden item, they will most likely ignore it until an emergency arises.
- Point to the different mechanisms on the extinguisher and allow the child to feel the heavy weight of the extinguisher.
- Show the child how to properly unhook the fire extinguisher from case or strap.
- Educate the child about having fire extinguishers examined by fireman on a regular basis. Public extinguishers have a card with the examine date clearly marked. Extinguishers can go bad over time and not be effective in case of an emergency.
- Show the child where to pull the plastic or metal pin. Let them know that this is required in order to operate the extinguisher, but should not be removed for any reason except a fire.
- Tell the child how to grasp the handle and squeeze the contents onto the fire. If at all possible, use an old extinguisher to allow the child to practice what he or she as learned. If not, simply allowing the child to hold it and pretend to put out a fire (without pulling the pin) will teach a child the basic information needed to use a fire extinguisher in case of an emergency.