The New Fire Safety Web Site Your Child Needs to See

(ARA) - If a fire started in your home, would your child know what to do? Every parent wants to make sure the answer is "Yes" and now there's a place they can turn for help getting the job done.

The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) recently launched a new animated interactive Web site called "Sprinkler Smarts" to teach children about fire safety in general, and to provide them with detailed information about how fire sprinklers work. The site, which can be found at www.SprinklerSmarts.org, hosts a unique set of fire safety games and activities for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The youngest children will find "Fire Safety Scout" a fun introduction to fire safety basics and a helpful way to learn to identify smoke alarms and fire sprinklers. Older children can play more challenging "Monkey See, Monkey Tell" games that also reinforce the importance of treating fire sprinklers as tools, not toys.

The vividly illustrated program features the whimsical music of Captain Splash and the Drop-lettes, whose jaunty tunes may help children remember the important messages. For example, the recurring myth that all sprinklers go off at once is the most common of several misconceptions about home fire sprinklers. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will operate, controlling or extinguishing a fire while the fire department responds.

"The games help children living in a sprinklered home understand why sprinklers are important and to avoid doing anything that might affect how they operate," says HFSC Board Member Meri-K Appy, who represents the Home Safety Council.

The program isn't just for home use. It also includes activities and presentation guidance to help teachers and fire safety educators incorporate sprinkler education into their outreach to children.

"Up to now the sprinkler message has been largely focused on adults only," says HFSC Chair Gary Keith. "But children need to be trained at an early age to identify fire sprinklers and to understand the very basics of their operation. To do that most effectively, HFSC opted to design interactive, Web-based games to make learning fun and memorable for children."

With this comprehensive approach, HFSC expects to reach a large number of families. To check out the site for yourself, log on to www.SprinklerSmarts.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent