Fire and Safety

Preschool fire safety for child care providers
Thursday, October 13, 2005

It is a few minutes that can save a life. According to the National Fire Protection Association (N.F.P.A.), playing with matches and lighters is the No. 1 cause of fire death among preschool age children and the No.1 reason they are a higher-risk group.

Parents, their babysitters, and other caregivers of preschoolers, along with more than 940 licensed child care providers serving the 28 communities of the Norfolk District will now have access to an important resource with a timeless child safety message.

This month, the Norfolk Firewall Partnership, an inter-agency coalition to protect children and families from fire, will begin making available to communities an 8-minute videotape describing how to prevent fires and burns to young children, and reminding caregivers to keep matches and lighters out of kids' reach.

The video, entitled, "A Lighter Is Not a Toy" was produced and donated by the N.F.P.A. headquartered in Quincy. It is being distributed in collaboration with the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal's Office and the Coalition for Kids in Danger, in time for National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9-15. The videotape is not intended for children, but rather for the adults that supervise them.

The Norfolk Firewall Partnership's plan is three-fold. First, free copies of the videotape will be provided to all public libraries in Norfolk County for convenient access by parents, grandparents, and other caregivers. Licensed child care providers in each community will be notified of its local availability.

Second, each public school system offering a kindergarten or preschool program will receive a copy of the videotape for faculty and staff training.

Third, copies of the videotape will be made available to regional offices of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services for possible inclusion in foster parent training programs.
Safety information related to the upcoming National Fire Prevention Week may also be provided.

"When it comes to protecting young children from fire, simple, common sense steps can make all the difference," said D.A. Keating, who helped launch the Norfolk Firewall Partnership in 2001. "Safety begins with prevention."

According to N.F.P.A. Assistant Vice President of Public Education, Judy Comoletti, "Ten years ago, preschool children were twice as likely to die in home fires. Since then we've made great progress. Training programs, such as this one, can further reduce risks to our children."
The Norfolk Firewall Partnership offers the following guidelines for the safe use and safe storage of matches and lighters.

Matches and lighters should be kept far away from children, and stored beyond children's reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.

They should be put away immediately after lighting a fireplace or wood burning stove.
They are tools for adults only, not toys for children to play with.
All lighters should be child-resistant.

Wooden "strike anywhere" matches should not be used in homes with young children.
Teach young children to tell an adult when they see matches or lighters, but not to pick them up themselves.

Additional information about fire prevention is available online from the Office of the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal at www.mass.gov/dfs/sofm, the National Fire Protection Association at www.nfpa.org, the Coalition for Kids in Danger at http://www.kidsandfire.net/, and the Shriners Hospitals for Children at http://www.shrinershq.org/.