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Merseyside Fire And Rescue Campaign To Keep Children Safe From Fire

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service is targeting families and highlighting how to keep children safe from fire as part of Child Safety Week.

Firefighters and MF&RS staff will be highlighting fire prevention to pupils in schools and encouraging parents to provide their children with the knowledge to stay safe from fire in the home. 

Child Safety Week is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s annual community education campaign and aims to raise awareness of accidents that kill or injure children each year and steps that can be taken to prevent them. 

During the week firefighters and fire prevention staff will be highlighting a series of messages aimed at keeping children safe in the home. 

They will be asking parents to nominate their child as an “escape champ” by regularly role-playing escape routes and giving children the responsibility of keeping escape routes clear. 

People will also be encouraged to get “key clever” and ask children to check the house keys are kept in a specific place in the home where they can be accessed in the event of a fire. 

Parents will also be advised that children should never be left alone in the kitchen while food is cooking. 

Advice will be given around electrical appliances. Parents will be advised to teach children not to poke anything into electrical sockets and not to put their fingers into sockets. 

Families will also be advised to ensure they have a working smoke alarm fitted on each level of their home and to test them every week. 

Parents will be encouraged to discuss with their children how to call 999 in the event of an emergency. They will be urged to ensure their child knows their full address and where possible to pin this information near the phone to give to an operator if they have to call 999. 

Children will be made aware that in the event of an emergency, they should get out, stay out and call 999. People should never go back into a property that is on fire. 

MF&RS Home Safety Manager, Kevin Johnson, said: “Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service is supporting Child Safety Week by highlighting fire safety to families with children. 

“Our firefighters and fire prevention staff will be visiting schools, nurseries, children’s centres, community groups and special events to meet as many children and parents as possible to encourage fire safety. 

“There are some very simple steps that can be taken to help keep children safe from fire. We hope the information will empower children to know what to do in the event of a fire in the home. Children will also be encouraged to help their own families to think about fire safety.”