BURRILLVILLE – With the milder and warmer temperatures arriving this month, and spring headed into full swing, fire safety is taking another turn – not necessarily related to indoor concerns and issues like we address during the colder winter months.
Families will be bringing grills out of storage, much like I am doing this weekend myself for spring and summer grilling. Fire pits and fire displays will be popping up in yards across the area, and these also lead to fire safety hazards that could directly impact a child’s life. Kids watch what adults do, and if they are not properly watched around these fires a child could become severely burned in a moment. It only takes a split-second for a young child to be burned touching a hot grill or playing near an open fire source in the yard.
Kids can also find lighters and matches left unattended on picnic tables, or anywhere that is within their reach, and burn themselves or actually cause a fire. Please keep lighters and matches away from the reach of little kids.
This week, weather forecasts on the news show that we will have mild and warmer temperatures, and I’m certain grills, open fire pits and outdoor fireplaces will be ignited in yards across the area, and children will also be there. School is also out-of-session for this entire week, and that means more outdoor activities involving open flames and fires will be happening in backyards with these warmer temperatures and later sunset times.
The Fearless Dino Protector Squad Fire Safety & Burn Prevention cartoon character dinosaurs are very popular with firefighters and child safety advocates when it comes to talking to children about fire safety and burn prevention. These dinosaurs also feature fire apparatus tails and cool firefighters names related to their educational and awareness topics. They now have cool firefighting vehicles equipped with fire prevention apparatus onboard when fighting fires. Not only do they show up to battle fires in conventional fire trucks, they also drive classic Chevy Blazers to fight fires.
Print out this week’s Sunday feature coloring cartoon and talk with your children about fire safety and burn prevention while coloring during spring vacation week. Over the coming months, we will be addressing outdoor fire safety and burn prevention hazards and how to prevent unintentional burns in and around the home. Tell your kids to never play with fire.
Stay fire safe!
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades.
