Campfire Safety for Children

As a family we love camping, and even when we don’t camp outdoors we have plenty of indoor campouts with toasting marshmallows in the garden or even on the beach.

There is nothing better than pitching up the tent and cooking in the great outdoors and the food always tastes nicer too. But with open fires and children, you have to be extra careful.

Fire safety education keeps kids safe on a trip. Teaching a few fire safety lessons that teach kids fire safety precautions help everyone enjoy their time around the campfire. Singing songs around the campfire, the aroma of freshly caught fish sizzling in a pan over the open flame, the warmth of the fire as the summer evening turns chilly; all of these camping experiences are opportunities to create life long memories.

Parents should make sure their family’s camping memories are pleasant ones by teaching fire safety first.

We are heading off for a Glamping adventure over the Easter holidays and with the weather changing for the better I’m sure many more families will be packing up for a camping holiday again soo. It is never too early to teach fire safety to children.

Fire Safety for Kids

Infants and toddlers should never be left near a fire without close adult supervision. Create a visual boundary around the fire and teach them not to cross the boundary – large stones are good for this. Older toddlers may enjoy some of the preschool fire safety activities.

Preschool children will enjoy learning about Smokey the Bear, the longest-running public service announcement in U.S. History. Colouring pages can be printed from the Smokey Website to help preschoolers develop an awareness of fire safety. These can be coloured at home before the trip or can be used as fun travel activities while on the road.

Preschool children can also practice stop, drop, and roll. Explain that if anyone should accidentally catch their clothing on fire they need to STOP, quickly cover their face with their hands, DROP to the ground, and ROLL back and forth on the ground to smother the fire. Practice this activity many times and in different settings so that children develop an automatic response when they hear the words “Stop, drop, and roll.”

Older school-age children who have a basic understanding of fire safety can begin to learn how to use and work with fire. Not all children are mature enough to be trusted with fire starting materials and all fires should be started with adult supervision. Parental discretion is an important factor in teaching fire skills. Emmy has recently started Brownies and Harry has started Beavers, as they progress through these classes they will learn many outdoor skills.

Fire Safety Rules

The following are fire safety rules that all children must learn.

1. Choose a location away from the overhanging tree branches.
2. Circle the pit with rocks.
3. Clear a 10 foot (or maybe more) area around the fire down to the dirt and remove anything that will catch fire.
4. Store extra wood away and upwind from the fire.
5. Wait until a used match is cold before discarding it. Discard into the fire.
6. An adult should attend the fire at all times.
7. Always have a bucket of water at hand and a shovel near the fire at all times.
8. Only put wood into the fire.
9. Wood and sticks in the fire, stay in the fire.
10. Rocks used as a fire ring are not chairs and should not be sat on.
11. To put a fire out, dump water over the fire until the fire appears to be out. Stir the wet coals and ashes with the shovel. Dump more water on the fire. The fire area can be left once it is cold.

A few moments spent on fire safety will help to ensure that the family adventure is safe and fun for everyone.

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