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  A firefighter from the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) is visiting our school this week to present a Home Fire Safety Program to our Prep to Grade 6 students.
• Kindergarten students, whilst not receiving a structured lesson, can expect a visit from the firefighter who will leave some free fun activities for the students to complete.
• The age appropriate program is designed to raise fire awareness in children and includes fun in class activities, videos, activity books, giveaways and a new kids website tfskids.com.au.
• Parents and other family members are also encouraged to participate by reading the information and assisting your child with the after school activities.
• The TFS aims to deliver appropriate fire safety education to every primary school child in Tasmania and is part of the TFS’s ongoing commitment to create a fire safe Tasmania.
• Key Fire Safety Messages include,
• Wake up - Install a smoke alarm in every bedroom
• Plan and practice a home fire escape plan with the whole family
• In a fire crawl low and go, go, go to the nearest exit
• In an emergency call triple zero
• Keep flammable material at least two metres from the heater
• If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, rock and roll
• Keep matches and lighters away from children
• Cooking - Turn it off before you turn away
• Cool a burn under cold water for at least 20 minutes
• Most house fires can be avoided. Make your home fire safe
• More information for parents, carers and teachers tfseducation.com.au
• Exciting new website just for kids tfskids.com.au
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EARLY CHILDHOOD

TFS receives regular requests from preschools and child care centres asking for firefighters to visit and teach children about home fire safety.

TFS does not deliver structured fire safety programs to children below primary school age. This decision was made based on research carried out by the Mental Health Services of the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne. This research indicated that:

• Children under the age of five had low retention of the information they had learned; and
• In some children, the information had actually stimulated their curiosity about fire and they had begun to play with fire.

TFS believes that parents and caregivers are the best people to make sure that very young children are safe from fire. To help with this, TFS has a fire safety website for parents, carers and teachers.

TFS has also developed free giveaways for young children that introduce them to the friendly firefighter characters that they will meet when they receive the School Fire Education Program including a colouring book, a money box shaped like a fire truck, and stickers with home fire safety messages for the whole family. Click here for free giveaways for your preschool or child care centre.