Talking to children about fire safety isn't scary — and it could save a life

Climbing to the top of the play structure is scary, so we show our kids how to take their time and plan the route. COVID is scary, so we make sure our children have masks and vaccinations. The idea of a house fire is scary, so we install smoke alarms and have an evacuation plan.

Here's the thing about many scary things: they're our fears, not theirs. Our job is to give our children the power to stay safe.

When it comes to talking about fire safety, parents lay the groundwork early, says Louise Desrosiers, the Montreal fire department's head of fire prevention.

“You teach them not to poke things into plugs, keep their hands off the stove, not to run in the kitchen,” Desrosiers says. The next steps will prepare them in case a fire happens at home. “They will remember.”

Daycare and school fire drills are useful, but Desrosiers notes fires are more likely to occur at home.

Test your smoke alarm. Timechange weekends are traditionally when families are reminded to test alarms. A home should have at least one on each level.

If your alarm is chirping because the battery is dying, you need to replace the smoke detector, not the battery. Alarms with 10-year lithium batteries have been mandatory in Quebec since 2019. They are initially more expense, Desrosiers says, but they are more ecological, people do not have to worry about the battery, and they save lives. New constructions are required to have electrically powered alarms.

Children should know what the alarm sounds like, but if it frequently goes off because of condensation from the shower or because you keep burning cookies, kids will become desensitized to the noise.

“Too many false alarms are a bad thing,” Desrosiers says.

Designate a family meeting place. Find a place outside with clear landmarks children can find at any time of year, like

the entrance to a dépanneur, a favourite maple tree or outside the neighbour's house. When firefighters arrive, they will know the entire family is safe and not have to risk their lives going into a burning building to search.

Have an evacuation plan. Children can help create a map, making their bedroom their favourite colour and drawing a plate of french fries in the kitchen so they easily recognize which room is which. All available exits should be on the map.

Use the alarm-testing weekend to do a practice run. Children will escape through the door they use the most, Desrosiers says, so parents can draw a picture of fire and hold it over the door during the practice. If that door is blocked, what should they do? Other important things to practise:

If a person's clothing or body is on fire, stop, drop and roll. They should put their hands over their eyes, nose and mouth. Roll to one side, then to the other.

If they must escape through smoke, prepare them to crawl like a dog or cat. “Do not slither like a snake, because some gases stay low to the ground,” Desrosiers warns. “They should be six inches up with their head up so they can see where they're going.”

Check out how a firefighter looks and sounds. A firefighter in full gear, speaking in a big muffled voice through their equipment, can be frightening. Explain how the equipment protects firefighters using books or the resources offered at ville.montreal.qc.ca/ sim/en/kids-section.

Desrosiers and her team visit schools, day camps, daycares and community events. They also target neighbourhoods where there have been a lot of fires or where there is a higher concentration of people who are new to Canada and might not be aware of local safety procedures.

The public education department can be reached at 514-8724684. To inquire about such things as bylaws and inspections, call 514-872-3800.