INSTRUCTORS GUIDE We recommend that you read this guide in its entirety before planning your presentation. Reading time is about fifteen minutes. If you have any comments, suggestions, or stories, we d love to hear from you. 1.800.665.6167 www.communitysafetynet.com email: info@communitysafetynet.com /communitysafetynet @CSN4_LIFE /CommunitySafetyNet Fire Safety Instructors Guide 1
SAMPLE LETTER A copy of this introductory letter should be sent home with each child, along with the Fire Safety book. A MESSAGE TO PARENTS ABOUT FIRE SAFETY Knowledge is a powerful weapon in fire prevention. That s why your child is taking part in our fire safety initiative, sponsored by the <insert name of your organization>. We believe that informing our community s young people about the dangers of fire will help them exercise good judgement and increasing maturity when faced with potentially dangerous everyday situations now, and as adults. We invite you to participate in this educational process by reading the Parents section of Fire Safety: Smart choices for LIFE. We also encourage you to review the rest of the information contained in the textbook and view the accompanying DVD (which won an international award for Best Educational Video ), then discuss it with your child and other family members, too. To download our community s safety app free of charge, just go to the Apple or Google Play store, search for CSN & install. Once Installed, select <insert name of your community> and away you go, watch the safety videos and take the safety quiz. You will also find local information, safety tips & national agencies to help keep our community safe. There is even a list of our local business partners who have made this safety initiative possible. Please thank them for their support. Yours in Safety, (Your name, title) (Name of organization) 2 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
INTRODUCTION Knowledge is a powerful weapon. And the book Fire Safety: Smart choices for LIFE (along with the award-winning interactive DVD and this instructor s guide) will help you use this weapon in the battle of fire prevention. It s important for teaching/learning to be an interactive process. Information must be relevant to students lives. As we guide the children through fire safety, it s important to imprint the message(s) using their own images of self and family in the scenarios. Going to the children for answers enables them to take ownership of the learning. Our experience has taught us that maintaining student interest is the key to effective teaching. That s why this guide is full of ideas and exercises that will help you gain and maintain the attention of your students by involving them in thought-provoking learning activities. Where We re Coming From When we first put the Fire Safety resource together, we believed children would make wise decisions, if exposed to the proper information. We still think so, thanks in part to feedback from people like you. Essentially, Fire Safety has three main purposes: To make young people aware of the many ways in which fires can start in and around the home, if the rules of fire safety are not followed. To impart the rules of fire safety, so as to prevent fires. To teach young people the correct way to respond to a fire emergency at or away from the home. Fire Safety Instructors Guide 3
Why Your Efforts Are Important An excellent way to prevent fires in the home is to teach children how their behaviors, actions, and decisions can make a real difference when it comes to fire prevention. And by encouraging the kids to share their learning with family members, the likelihood of safer practices taking root in the home will increase. So your decision to teach Fire Safety is likely to have a lasting impact on quite a number of young people and their families. Your Approach You may wish to hold a series of classes for the kids over a set period. Or you may decide to briefly address the children, give them the Fire Safety book and DVD to take home, and encourage them to share it with their parents. Regardless of your approach, your decision to help young people and your community is a positive and meaningful commitment. The Best Way Is Your Way We know from experience that this course can be successfully employed by professional teachers or by people with no official teaching experience whatsoever. It can be used within the school system or outside of it. It works for young people of various ages and it s effective in groups both large and small. But you know best the circumstances under which you plan to share this important safety information. And you know your strengths and capabilities. So you ll probably want to pick and choose from our preparation suggestions and add some of your own ideas, too. It s a great idea to mix the course materials with your own experience and know-how. If you have a certain exercise of your own that is particularly effective, please let us know! That way we can share it with others in future updates of this guide. Good luck and have fun! 4 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
BASIC PREPARATION In preparation, we suggest you look over these planning suggestions: Review the Fire Safety book and interactive DVD, then determine how long you want the presentation to be. Both the book and DVD can be covered in sections. Divide the material according to the number and length of the sessions. (Consider the average age of the students you re teaching. Junior Fire Safety is meant for kids aged 5 to 7. Fire Safety is meant for kids aged 7 to 11. The older the students, the more quickly you can cover the material and the less repetitive you have to be.) Employ an exercise or training idea in every session. Consider inviting guest speakers. For example, a Fire Chief, Firefighter, or Fire Prevention Officer would be an ideal choice. If you (the presenter) are a fire prevention professional, you may wish to consider inviting an EMS worker or perhaps someone from the electrical or gas utility to support your presentation. Consider providing students with paper and pencil for opening sessions. Conscientious students take notes, and some of the exercises you choose may require writing materials. You ll need a blackboard or easel with paper to help you teach. Ensure one is available to you. The younger your students, the more likely it is that parents will be transporting them. Be prepared for parents questions. You may even invite them to attend when a guest speaker or guest discussion leader is present. Getting Started When presenting Fire Safety, here s a suggested introductory technique: 1) Ask the kids how long they think it takes for a simple flame (such as on a candle) to get out of control. You may choose to list their responses. 2) Then ask them how long they think it takes for an entire house to become engulfed in flames (again, you may choose to list their responses). 3) Have them turn to page 23 in the Fire Safety book to find the correct answers. Fire Safety Instructors Guide 5
This exercise makes a very strong point about the danger of fire. And it does so at the most effective moment as soon as you meet them. On the next page, we list all kinds of other learning ideas. We ve also included ten suggested exercises that get the kids involved. You may not have enough time to complete all of the exercises (you almost certainly won t be able to try them all in a single session). The best thing to do is read over the activity ideas and exercise suggestions beforehand, and select the ones you feel are most appropriate to the kids you will be seeing. Choose activities you think the kids will enjoy and benefit from, and be sure that you have any required materials (such as paper and coloring tools) on hand. Fire Safety Quiz & Diploma We ve included a Fire Safety Quiz at the back of the book, so that young people can demonstrate what they ve learned while earning their graduation diploma. The diploma is also at the back of the textbook. Interactive DVD This resource includes an interactive DVD with each copy of the book. It contains a 21-minute video featuring two young actors to facilitate learning, and provides valuable information about things that can burn and what to do in case of fire. There is also a section on escape plans. This DVD may be used in the classroom setting, or watched at home. The DVD also includes an interactive quiz that challenges kids to demonstrate what they ve learned. The objective is to answer timed multiple choice questions and advance through all eight levels of play. When completed correctly, the player receives a password (stpdrpnroll) that can be used on the Community Safety Net website: www.communitysafetynet.com to enter a draw for prizes such as electronics, t-shirts, hats, and gift certificates. We encourage you to watch the DVD and consider using it as a learning tool when presenting to the kids. They should also be encouraged to take the DVD home and try it out themselves. 6 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
ACTIVITY IDEAS To dramatize the experience of learning, you may wish to consider using some of the following ideas: The opening statistic on page 12 in the book states that a home fire is reported to fire departments in the U.S. and Canada every 80 seconds. Read that aloud. Then have an adult (parent, teacher, guest, or older student) ring a bell or sound a horn every 80 seconds, throughout your entire session. This will emphasize the magnitude of the issue. Consider having some of the students write short essays or give brief talks on how many potential fire hazards there are in a home, and what steps can be taken to prevent fires from starting. (Be sure to give them some notice if they ll be giving a talk.) Ask students to use the Internet (and/or library) to research information on fire prevention or fire loss, then share it with everyone. Consider asking several parents to visit the class and briefly explain what parents can do to help ensure their children follow the rules of fire safety, or explain the importance of setting positive behavior standards and consequences. (If they accept the invitation, ask them to read the section for parents in the textbook). With the younger children, consider employing puppets to dramatize what can happen when the rules of fire safety are not followed. Ask students what they would do if they found some matches or a lighter. Ask students to collect newspaper or magazine stories on fire damage, fire safety, or firerelated deaths. They may wish to go to the public library and photocopy materials. Have them read the articles and share what they ve discovered. Help students design a true/false survey about fire safety and facts. Conduct the survey with the students and analyze the results together. At the end of each of the sections, consider asking specific questions about the information just covered. Go over the thought starters at the end of each section, and ask the kids to provide their responses to the group. Fire Safety Instructors Guide 7
Arrange for a tour of the local fire station and have the Fire Chief and Firefighters sign the autographs section on page 106 in the Fire Safety book. Arrange for a visit from a Firefighter in full gear (including mask), to help kids get used to the sight. This will help ensure that they re not afraid of (and won t hide from) Firefighters in the event of a real fire. Have kids complete the Fill In The Blanks quiz on page 88 in the Fire Safety book. This can be done before and after studying the book, so as to measure the learning that has taken place. Have the kids take the quiz on pages 89 to 93. This, too, can be done both before and after studying the book, so as to measure the learning that has taken place. Have the kids color in the scenes in the coloring section. The completed pictures may be placed together on a wall, to form a Fire Safety Art Gallery, or you may wish to hold a coloring contest for the best picture(s), as judged by the local Fire Chief or Fire Prevention Officer. The prize(s) offered could include a ride in a fire truck, or lunch with a firefighter. Have the kids play the word puzzles and work on the fire maze in the Fire Safety book, pages 101 to 104. After completion of the Fire Safety initiative, have the kids fill out the Fire Safety Pledge at the back of the book. After completion of the Fire Safety initiative, have the kids enter the Safety Award Contest by writing a letter about their newfound fire safety knowledge (details are at the back of the Fire Safety book). EXERCISE IDEAS Here are ten suggested exercises you can do with the kids to reinforce learning. Some exercises may require specific materials, such as paper or coloring tools. EXERCISE ONE: FIRE SAFETY BINGO Purpose: To highlight some of the most important fire safety rules. 8 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
Explanation: Young people, especially kids under eight, may not realize the vast number of ways in which careless behavior could start a fire. Likewise, they may be unaware of many basic precautions they can take to prevent fires. Exercise: Transcribe the list of fire safety rules found on pages 33 to 34 of the Fire Safety book onto a large sheet and post it at the front of the room. Number each rule sequentially, starting with 1, through to 75. When you reach the end of the list, just start at the top again, and cycle through the list until all numbers are assigned (for example,the first rule will be assigned numbers 1, 22, 43, and 64). You may also wish to recreate this list on a smaller sheet that can be handed out to the kids. Acquire a regular set of bingo cards, and distribute them to the kids. They will also need bingo chips. You can then call the bingo game, reading out fire safety rules from the list. Players must scan the list, then play the numbers that go with each called rule. Determine beforehand what bingo patterns are required to win. Once a child calls bingo, he or she must verify the win by reciting the rules that have been called (by cross-checking the numbers on the card). EXERCISE 2: HOUSEHOLD HAZARDS Purpose: To make young people aware of the many potential fire hazards that can be found within the average household. Explanation: Most kids know that matches and lighters cause fires, but many do not realize that fires can be started by a wide range of common items. Exercise: Ask students to help you compile a list of all the things found in a house that could potentially start a fire. Responses can include actions, as well as objects (for example, leaving a candle close to curtains). Once the list is compiled, have everyone look over pages 21 to 30 in the Fire Safety book. Top up the list with any items in the book that were missed during the discussion. Fire Safety Instructors Guide 9
EXERCISE 3: PERSONAL FIRE ESCAPE PLANS Purpose: To highlight the importance of having a personal fire escape plan. Explanation: Creating a home fire escape plan gives kids the chance to personalize some of what they re learning in this Fire Safety program. It s a very important part of the course, and one that stands to benefit them (and their families) greatly. Exercise: Go over the information on escape plans (pages 39 to 41) with the kids. Ensure that everyone is comfortable with the basic components of a personal escape plan. Then have the kids turn to page 42 in the book and draw their own plans, based on their homes. If desired, kids can use a separate sheet of paper, rather than the space provided in the book. When complete, encourage the kids to take the plans home to share and practice with their families. EXERCISE 4: HOLIDAY CAUTION Purpose: To remind kids that even fun, joyous occasions do not preclude the need for caution and responsibility. Explanation: Kids view holidays, such as Halloween and Christmas, as exciting events that bring good times and fun which is true. But some of the trappings of these holidays (like candles and costumes) can have a downside, if proper precautions are not taken. This exercise aims to make kids aware of the fire safety rules they need to keep in mind while enjoying themselves, for their own safety. Exercise: Start off by asking the kids who likes Christmas or Hanukkah? After their response, ask them to list some of the aspects of these holidays which require careful behavior, particularly with respect to fire hazards. List the aspects in one column on a chalkboard. Create a second column, beside it, for precautions. Follow the same procedure with regard to Halloween. Then ask the kids to come up with other holidays or events (eg. Fourth of July, Canada Day, Birthdays) which bring the need for 10 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
safety along with fun. Go through the exercise with each suggested holiday. Before starting, you may wish to read pages 24 to 26 in the Fire Safety book. But feel free to discuss additional holidays, beyond those covered in the text. EXERCISE 5: OTHER THINGS THAT BURN Purpose: To help kids understand that burns can occur from things besides fire and flames. Explanation: A burn from steam, water, or grease can also be painful and damaging. This exercise aims to alert young people to other potential sources of burning. Exercise: Explain to the kids that there are other ways of getting burned, besides fire and flames. Go over the definition of the word scald with them (see page 26 in the Fire Safety book). Then list the following words on the chalkboard or on a large piece of paper: kettle, radiator, sunshine, hot food, bath, whirlpool, deep fryer, toaster, stove, iron. Ask how many of these items the kids have seen at home (most kids should be familiar with most of the items). Then go over each item, and ask different kids to explain how each item could potentially cause a burn. After each one, ask the class for suggestions on how to avoid being burned by the item in question. EXERCISE 6: DANGEROUS SYMBOLS Purpose: To make children aware of items that are potentially flammable, poisonous, etc. Explanation: Every household has items (such as cleaning supplies) that contain chemicals, which can be very dangerous if ingested, inappropriately handled, exposed to heat, or shaken. This exercise aims to help young people identify such items so they can stay away from them. Fire Safety Instructors Guide 11
Exercise: Post the four hazardous symbol posters included with this book at the front of the room. Have all the kids turn to page 31 in the Fire Safety book. Go over each symbol, and explain the meaning of the words corrosive, explosive, flammable and poisonous. Be sure to help the kids associate the symbol with its meaning (for example, skull and cross-bones means poisonous ). Explain that it s very important for them to never touch or play with any items bearing these symbols. Then go around the room, asking the kids to name items they ve seen with hazardous warning symbols. Compile a list of their answers on a page, with the heading These items have warning symbols on them, so I must never touch or play with them. At the end of the session, photocopy the page and give each child a copy to take home. EXERCISE 7: SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES Purpose: To encourage kids to regularly help their parents ensure all smoke alarms in the house are in good working order. Explanation: Though most people know that smoke alarms are important to have, not everyone is diligent about checking them regularly. Instilling a sense of awareness in the kids will help remind parents of the importance of ensuring that their smoke alarms are working properly. Exercise: Have the kids turn to pages 38 to 39, and explain to them what smoke alarms do and why they are important. Let them know that fire prevention officials recommend checking the smoke alarms at least once a month to ensure proper operation. Then divide the kids into groups of two or three (depending on class size), and ask each small group to create a rule that will help families remember to check their smoke alarms on a regular basis. (For example, check on the first day of the month or check when there is a full moon ). Have the kids share the rules they came up with, then have them vote on their favorite two or three rules. 12 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
EXERCISE 8: OUTDOOR SAFETY SCENES Purpose: To emphasize the importance of outdoor fire safety. Explanation: This exercise seeks to instill proper outdoor fire safety practices by having kids interpret basic rules and express them creatively. Exercise: Go over the section on outdoor fire safety (pages 54 to 58 in the Fire Safety book). Then distribute a sheet of paper to each child. Ask half the class to draw an outdoor scene in which several rules of outdoor fire safety are being followed. Ask the other half to draw an outdoor scene in which several rules of outdoor fire safety are being broken. Then have the kids trade pictures and list the rules they find being broken/followed on the back of picture. Return the drawings to the original artists. EXERCISE 9: FIRE EMERGENCY ROLE PLAYING Purpose: To teach kids what to do if they see smoke or flames inside or away from the home. Explanation: Kids need to know how they should react in case of fire. Role playing will help them internalize the proper actions, which should help them retain the information. (Note: This exercise may not be suitable for younger children. Use your own judgement as per the levels and abilities of your audience). Exercise: Divide the kids up into groups of four, and assign each group one of the following fire emergency scenarios (if there are more groups than scenarios, feel free to make up additional scenarios, or use some of them more than once): Two friends are walking home from school and one smells smoke. A shopkeeper is nearby. A family of four is awakened by the sound of their smoke alarm. They have a pet cat that sleeps in the living room. Fire Safety Instructors Guide 13
A child is biking home and sees a burning house. No adults are nearby, but there is a phone booth. A babysitter is home with three kids. They re playing together on the second floor of a home, when the smoke alarm sounds. Two kids are playing near a fireplace, when a spark lands on one of them, causing his clothes to start on fire. An adult is in the next room. A mother and child are driving, when a siren is heard. Up the street, two kids are playing with toys very close to the edge of the road. Ask the groups to perform little skits based on the scenarios assigned. In preparation, have them read over pages 46 to 51 in the Fire Safety book for tips and ideas. After each group has performed, ask the other kids to provide feedback and suggest other ways the situation might have been handled. EXERCISE 10: FIRE PREVENTION POSTER GALLERY Purpose: To get the kids thinking in a creative way about promoting fire safety. Explanation: Though kids are normally the target of fire prevention messages, they do not often get the opportunity to create their own. This exercise harnesses the kids own creativity to benefit others. Exercise: Provide the kids with crayons, colored pencils, or markers. Have them turn to page 106 in the Fire Safety book, and challenge them to create their own fire prevention posters (alternatively, you can distribute sheets of paper for the kids to use). Remind them that the target audience is other children their own age. Once all the posters are done, have each child sign his/her name. Post the pictures together on the wall. If possible, select a prominent place in the school or building, so that others can see and benefit from the posters. 14 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
A Message From Our Community Safety Net Family Thank you again for your commitment to the safety of children in your community. We commend your organization s efforts towards a brighter future for our youth, and look forward to our continued partnership so that together we can... Protect kids for LIFE! P.S. Please call us if you have any questions or would like to share your experience... 1-800-665-6167 Fire Safety Instructors Guide 15
NOTES 16 Fire Safety Instructors Guide
NOTES Fire Safety Instructors Guide 17
Protecting kids for LIFE 1.800.665.6167 www.communitysafetynet.com email: info@communitysafetynet.com /communitysafetynet @CSN4_LIFE /CommunitySafetyNet