Ehstoday 3656 Keepkidsfiresafe
Ehstoday 3656 Keepkidsfiresafe
Ehstoday 3656 Keepkidsfiresafe
Ehstoday 3656 Keepkidsfiresafe
Ehstoday 3656 Keepkidsfiresafe

Take the Sparkles Fire Safety Skype Tour

Nov. 16, 2012
The Sparkles Fire Safety Skype Tour is a free, interactive online educational program that teaches children important fire safety messages.
When I was a kid, a mobile fire safety trailer paid a visit to my elementary school. The friendly safety experts taught us fire safety tips, why our families needed fire emergency plans and how to safely escape a burning home. For the much-anticipated final part of our lesson, we crawled into the trailer, which resembled a miniature house, and waited while (harmless) smoke was piped in. Then we practiced crawling along the floor to find a safe way out.

This exercise terrified me. The trailer was dark, smoky and filled with the persistent screech of the fire alarm. As a result, I got the message loud and clear: Fire was no laughing matter. A real fire would be just as scary, dark and horrifying, so I better be prepared if it ever happened.

Now, I can look back and realize how fortunate I was to have this type of experience. Here’s a look at the Manitoba Firefighters' Burn Fund’s fire safety trailer, which is similar to the fire safety trailer I remember experiencing as a child:

Unfortunately, not all communities and schools are able to access this type of educational tool. But thanks to today’s technology, we have another option to educate kids about the importance of fire safety: virtual fire safety “tours” conducted via Skype or other online video software.

EHS Today’s sister publication Fire Chief recently showcased one of these educational opportunities. The Sparkles Fire Safety Skype Tour offers a free, 45-minute fire safety program for children. The program features fire safety messages, allows children to “meet” a real fire safety dog, includes a reading of the Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog children’s book and encourages kids to sing fire safety songs, ask fire safety questions and more.

“As you may know, many fire departments have shrinking budgets and maybe not enough personnel to go out and share fire prevention,” said Dayna Hilton, the executive director of the Keep Kids Fire Safe Foundation, in a video produced by Fire Chief. “The Keep Kids Fire Safe Foundation has come up with a way to reach more children with educationally sound messaging.”

To learn more about this program, watch Fire Chief’s Using Skype for Fire Prevention Education Part 1 and Part 2 videos or visit http://www.firesafetydogs.com/programs.html.

Sponsored Recommendations

3 Essential Elements for a Strong Safety Culture

March 13, 2024
Organizations globally have increased their attention on safety culture: trying to figure out what it really is and the aspects that are necessary to develop and sustain it. And...

Making the Case for Occupational Health Software

March 13, 2024
Deciding to invest in Occupational Health (OH) software can be a challenging leap for many organizations. This article will equip businesses with insightful strategies for effectively...

Fighting the Flu: Solutions for the Workplace

March 13, 2024
Seasonal flu continues to wreak considerable havoc both on individual wellness, as well as on our business continuity and productivity. Explore these solutions for protecting ...

Preventing SIFs with Digitization: Reduce Serious Injuries and Fatalities with Technology

March 13, 2024
This eBook discusses the origins of SIF prevention, outlines principles, models and tools available to EHS leaders to better detect and address SIF potential in their business...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!