Fire Department
Fire Safety for Children
The O’Fallon Fire Department is dedicated to providing fire safety education throughout our community. In addition to our regular fire safety programs, we also have specially trained personnel, called JFS Educators, who are trained to provide fire safety education and counseling for children.
These educators have found that many parents ask similar questions relating to their children and fire safety. Listed below are some frequently asked questions along with answers to each.
Is playing with fire normal for children? It is common for children to be curious about fire; although, playing with fire should not be allowed. Children see their parents or others smoke and handle matches and lighters. Parents try to teach their children that playing with matches and lighters is wrong, but then use them to light candles on the child’s birthday cake or light fireworks on the 4th of July. These exciting and satisfying experiences reinforce the use of fire. It is important that parents teach children that matches and lighters are tools, not toys.
Is fire setting a phase? No, fire setting is not a normal phase for a child. If the fire setting behavior is not dealt with immediately, the behavior could escalate into criminal behavior.
If parents or guardians of the child seek help, will their neighbors and friends find out? All intervention and counseling remains confidential. Parents of juvenile fire setters often hesitate to seek help for their child. The ramifications of a child accused of setting fires can be devastating. Parents fear alienation from their family, friends, and the community. In addition, repeated fire setting could be a cry for help and parents may fear they would be forced to reveal underlying family problems.
If the child is punished, will he stop the fire setting behavior? Punishment may force the child to hide while playing with fire. It is important to educate the child on the hazards of fire setting rather than punish them.
Three hundred children die each year in youth related fires. Death by fire is the leading cause of accidental death of children in the home. A child can easily start a fire by playing with matches or lighters. Listed below are some things parents can do to prevent these deaths and injuries.
• The most effective intervention for curious children is proper adult supervision and fire safety education.
• Teach preschool children to TELL an adult if they find matches or lighters.
• Teach school age children to GIVE matches and lighters to an adult. Praise your child whenever he or she does this.
• Teach your child how to SAY NO when friends suggest playing with fire.
• Teach children that fire is a tool, not a toy. Talk about ways adults safely use different tools (cooking tools, repair and building tools, hobby tools).
• Explain how adults use matches to light candles, start a campfire or light a barbecue.
• Teach your school age child the safe use of fire. Provide opportunities for your child to light matches under adult supervision, such as lighting the candles on a birthday cake.
Parents who would like more information or assistance should feel free to call a member of the JFS Team or talk with the JFS Coordinator at 624-0174. You may also send an e-mail message to us at bbailey@ofallon.org.
We have specially trained personnel to provide the proper course of action needed to help children who are curious about fire. A JFS Educator will conduct an evaluation which will determine whether the child is just in need of additional important fire safety education or if the child is possibly in need of professional counseling. We not only help to prevent needless injury, loss of property, or death because of fire setting activity, we may also help prevent a child from becoming a part of the juvenile justice system.
New Equipment
The Fire Department recently took delivery of a new rescue vehicle, built by EVI Inc. The vehicle has all the latest technological equipment needed to assist in anything from vehicle rescue to major incidents/disasters. It is equipped with its own command center, weather station, light tower, and state of the art camera system, just to name a few features. This vehicle will allow the department to deliver an enormous amount of resources with one apparatus.
The department also recently developed our own hazardous materials and technical rescue response trailer. This equipment will allow trained personnel to immediately respond to anything from trench, confined space, structural collapse, and high angle rope rescues. Members of the department have spent hundreds of hours training on these specialized responses to better serve our community.
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