Safety Education Programs
Two important components of preventing youth fire misuse are educating children on safe behaviors and critical thinking skills. Children must develop thinking skills on how to anticipate the consequences of their/others' actions, assess their surrounding environment for potential dangers, implement appropriate hazard-avoidance strategies, and initiate an emergency response when necessary [Klas et al, 2015].* The following free educational programs can assist professionals to teach children essential safe behaviors and thinking skills:
Sound Off with the Home Fire Safety Patrol: Fire safety program for elementary grades 2 - 3.
Play Safe! Be Safe!: Fire safety education program for children ages three to five.
Learn Not to Burn: Positive fire safety messaging for preschoolers through grade 2.
Start Safe: A fire and burn safety program for young children and their families.
Sparky School House: Multiple resources for teachers in preschool to 5th grade.
Lesson Plans on "Making Safe & Responsible Choices" and "The Fire Challenge: A Conversation with Parents & Caretakers" (see nfpa.org "Lesson Plans")
What Can You Do? It's Up to You! Fire Awareness: Curriculum and lesson plans for Elementary, Middle, and Schools.
Flick's Fire and Burn Safety and The Great Escape: Content and associated educational materials matched to core curriculum for grades 1 - 8.
Before the Fire: Prevention Works: Lesson plans and curriculum for PreK to grade 8.
Fire Is...: Fire safety education program for middle school aged children
Sean's Story: Safety education program for elementary, middle, and high schools.
Sesame Street Fire Safety Program for preschool children.
Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.): Teaching resources, curriculum planning guide, and evaluation tools for preschool to high school.
Risk Watch: Comprehensive injury prevention program for elementary schools. (Note: The NFPA is no longer updating the Risk Watch program.)
Research on the importance of using positive messaging in youth education: See https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Teaching-tools/Educational-messaging and this final summary report.
*Klas KS, Vlahos PG, McCully MJ, Piche DR, Wang SC. School-based prevention program associated with increased short- and long-term retention of safety knowledge. J Burn Care Res. 2015;36(3):387-393.