October 7^th-13^th - Fire Prevention Week 

Introduction

“LOOK. LISTEN. LEARN. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”

The Governor General of Canada proclaims Fire Prevention Week each year. This year, it occurs the week of October 7-13 and the 2018 theme is “Look. Listen. Learn.” Fire prevention week was created in memory of the great Chicago fire in October 8-9, 1871 that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 people homeless, burned down 17,400 structures, and more than 200 acres of land.  You may wish to consult nfpa.org for more information on the history of this day and events and resources related to it.

 

Activity Bursts

Grades K-2 - Safety

Gather students and ask:

• What do you already know about fire safety?
• Have you ever seen a fire? Where? What caused it?

Share the theme for Fire Prevention Week 2018: “Look. Listen. Learn.”

Ask:

• What do you need to LOOK for around your home that might cause a fire? (e.g., stoves left on, fireplaces and sparks, frayed electrical cords, knocked over ash trays)
• What should you LISTEN for that might help you if a fire started? (e.g., fire and smoke alarms, carbon dioxide alarms)
• What else can we LEARN about fire safety that is important? (e.g., Escape plan, outside meeting place, 2 ways for getting out of each room, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every floor, fire extinguisher)

Together, watch this Sparky and Simon video by the National Fire Prevention Association at: sparky.org/videos.

Close by asking students to take this message home and make sure that their family knows what to LOOK for, LISTEN to, and LEARN about fire safety!

 

Grades 3-5 - Safety, The Arts 

Gather students and ask:

• Why do you think Canada dedicates a whole week to fire prevention?
• What important things do you know about fire prevention?
• What do you do at home to prevent fires?
• What do we do at school to help us prepare in case a fire happens?

Share the 2018 Fire Prevention Week theme: “Look. Listen. Learn.” Discuss these tips from the National Fire Prevention Agency: 

 

LOOK
Look for places fire could start. Take a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.

 

LISTEN
Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.

 

LEARN
Learn two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.

(Source: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Campaigns/Fire-Prevention-Week/About)

 

Divide the class into groups and provide each group with art materials to make posters that warn others to LOOK, LISTEN, and LEARN about fire prevention.

Brainstorm places that these posters could be posted in their school and community, such as local store windows or bulletin boards, sporting arenas, post office.

 

Grades 6-8 - Safety, Critical Thinking 

Did you know?

Statistics suggest that there are about 24,000 house fires each year in Canada, resulting in an average of 377 deaths and 3,048 injuries per year.

Test your students’ fire IQ by asking the questions below:

 

Q: What do you think is the #1 cause of house fires in Canada?

A: The #1 ignition source in all preventable house fires is cooking equipment that ignites clothing, oil, or flammable liquids.

 

Q: How many of Canada’s 24,000 fires each year include fatalities?

A: In Canada, 1 out of 100 preventable residential fires are fatal.

 

Q: What three rooms in the house are most likely to be involved in a fire?

A: Fires are most likely to start in the kitchen, bedrooms and living room.

 

Q: In fatal, preventable fires, what percentage of homes do you think did not have a working smoke detector?

A: In fatal, preventable house fires, more than 1/3 of the homes didn’t have a working smoke detector.

 

Finally, ask students what you should do to put out a fire on your stove that contained grease or oil. Accept several answers, and then watch the following You Tube video to confirm the correct answer: globalnews.ca/video/3787735/how-to-correctly-put-out-a-kitchen-grease-fire

 

Invite students to check out the Fire Safety IQ of family members. Remind them that it is important to LOOK for fire hazards in their home, LISTEN when the smoke or carbon monoxide alarms go off and LEARN not only how to prevent fires in your home, but also how to put them out safely.

 

For more information, lessons, games and activities, visit: nfpa.org/fpw

 

Special Days This Month