Key takeaways
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Over 74,000 children suffer non-fatal burn injuries per year in the U.S., and almost 300 more die from those types of injuries.
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Discovery Education partners with The Hartford to provide educators with engaging resources like videos and activities on fire safety.
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National Junior Fire Marshal® Day is free virtual event where students can learn real-world fire safety skills.
Teaching children about safety is one of the most valuable and important jobs we have as parents and families, caregivers, and educators. And fire safety is always one of the top concerns on everyone’s list, for good reason. Recent research shows an average of over 74,000 non-fatal burn injuries annually for U.S. children less than 1 to 19 years old. 90% of these come from flames, hot surfaces, hot liquids, steam, and chemicals. Unfortunately, nearly 300 more children die from their injuries.
How does this happen? We know children are naturally curious, but that curiosity may work against them in potentially harmful situations. They may not recognize the danger and react properly to what’s happening. The good news is that educators can play a role in reducing the number of injuries and preventing deaths by teaching children about fire safety in the home.
How Can Educators Teach Fire Safety?
Students can translate what they learn about smoke alarms and evacuation in school fire drills to similar situations at home. But wouldn’t it be great to have some resources that you can use to expand their knowledge of fire safety in the home and around it? After all, children will see a greater variety of fire-related dangers there, and they spend more time out of school than in it.
That’s why Discovery Education has partnered with The Hartford to provide educators with standards-aligned fire safety classroom resources in the Junior Fire Marshal® Training Academy for K–3. Use its instructional video, animated video series, and activities to explore the essentials of fire safety.
Curious about our resources? Check out two that are for K–2 students:
- Be Prepared: Get your house ready in case of a fire emergency.
- Make a Plan: Making a home fire escape plan in case of an emergency.
Free Event: National Junior Fire Marshal Day
Speaking of resources, we’d love for you to join our annual National Junior Fire Marshal Day virtual event on Tuesday, October 6! This year’s event is all new, and you don’t need to do any prep to give your students a fun, interactive experience—let us do the teaching!
We’ll cover four fire safety lessons:
- Matches and Lighters Are for Grown-Ups
- Smoke Alarms Are Important
- Create and Practice a Home Fire Escape Plan
- Establish a Meeting Place Outside
Live event times are 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM ET, but if those don’t work for you, no problem. Simply register and you’ll get a link for on-demand viewing on October 6.
You don’t have to be an educator to join us! Families and caregivers are welcome to register and participate too.