Children do not seek danger – they simply play!

One of the reasons for the occurrence of fires is children's mischief with fire. But before we start our conversation, dear parents, try to honestly answer some questions to yourselves. Have you ever left your child home alone? How long was the child home alone? An hour, half an hour, twenty minutes? Tell me, do you know that if a fire suddenly starts, even a few minutes will be enough for the child to perish? It is unlikely that any parent has thought about this. As a rule, we are absolutely sure that this will not happen to me and my child, and all the moralizing conversations are not for me. Unfortunately, the statistics are harsh and relentless.
Unfortunately, in the context of the republic in 2022, 13 children died in fires (one of them in the Verkhnedvinsk district of the Vitebsk region)
On the evening of October 9, a report was received about a fire in one of the apartments in Borisov. During the firefighting fire employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations found a 37-year-old woman and two children — a 7-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy in an unconscious state.
All three were hospitalized, but despite all the efforts of the doctors, the children could not be saved. The woman is currently under the supervision of doctors in the hospital. At the same time, the 37-year-old father of the family and the 6-year-old daughter left the apartment on their own, and their lives and health are not in danger. It is worth adding that the family was in a socially dangerous situation.
According to preliminary information, the parents had been drinking alcohol the day before and then fell asleep. The children, left unattended, engaged in careless handling of fire. This is currently being considered by the investigation as a preliminary cause of the fire.
As a result of the fire, two children (3 and 7 years old), without regaining consciousness, died in the hospital. Their 37-year-old mother is currently in the hospital. The father and another child (6 years old) managed to leave the apartment on their own. Their lives are not in danger.
On October 22 at 7:14 rescuers received a report of a fire in a house in the village of Borovka, Verkhnedvinsk district. Upon arrival at the scene, an open flame was observed in the house. During the firefighting, rescuers found the body of a teenager, a girl born in 2007, on the floor in the room. The owner of the dwelling, the stepfather of the deceased girl, along with her mother, were in the village of Kushliki in the Polotsk district at the time of the fire. As a result of the fire, the roof and ceiling of the house were destroyed, and the walls were charred. An investigation is underway regarding this incident, and the cause of the fire is being established. The version being considered is a violation of the rules for the operation of gas appliances and devices (leaving food unattended on the stove).
On December 17 at 03:35 witnesses reported an explosion and fire in an apartment on Shevchenko Boulevard in Minsk to the number "112".
Units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were dispatched to the scene, the first of which arrived within 4 minutes.
On the second floor, there was an open flame, heavy smoke, and people from the upper apartments were asking for help from the windows.
During the reconnaissance, it was established that there was a fire in two apartments on the second floor of a five-story residential building, covering an area of about 40 square meters.
Rescuers saved 12 people from the upper floors, including 3 children. All the rescued were handed over to the arriving ambulance teams for examination. Medics hospitalized 3 people with a preliminary diagnosis: "poisoning from combustion products, thermal inhalation injury, burns".
Another 10 people were evacuated from adjacent and upper apartments.
The fire was extinguished at 04:08. At the scene, 16 units of fire and rescue equipment and more than 70 rescuers were working.
On the second and fourth floors, 6 people were found in the apartments, including a child born in 2011. Medics confirmed their death.
That is why we repeatedly appeal to you, dear parents, and try not just to provide examples from life, but to reach out to each one. You teach your children to be polite, care about their health, and want them to grow up smart and developed. However, teaching them to follow safety rules is the most important task, because a child's life depends on it.
Why do fires occur due to children's mischief with fire? Considering each case of a child's death, one understands that ordinary life circumstances accompanied the tragedies – parents went to work, to the store, to neighbors, or were engaged in household chores in the yard. In other words, children were left unattended. And then comes the irreparable and cruel result of parental negligence: the death of a child.
Children often imitate the actions and behaviors of adults in their play. The desire for independence is especially manifested when a child is left alone. And one cannot be sure that a child, left alone at home, will not decide to play with a box of matches, will not want to set paper on fire, will not be interested in the operation of household appliances, which are plentiful in every apartment.
Therefore, before leaving home, it is necessary to entrust the supervision of the child to older children or to some adults. To prevent the child from getting bored, it is advisable to give them some task: suggest a game theme, select the necessary toys. It is especially dangerous to leave children alone in locked apartments or rooms. In case of a fire, they will not be able to exit the burning premises on their own. Moreover, when escaping from fire and smoke, children usually hide in closets, under beds, tables, and in corners of rooms. Finding children in a fire development situation is a difficult task. Examples
Skills of careful handling of fire must be instilled in children starting from the age of 4-5 years. It is necessary to strive for the child to realize that matches are not toys, and fire is not a joke, so that they have an impression of fire as a serious disaster for people.
Preschool and younger school-age children, especially boys, love to use matches and flammable objects in their games. Children lack life experience, and therefore they cannot foresee the consequences of their actions. The most common games among children are those related to making fires. They choose places for making fires that are appropriate – far from parental eyes – in attics, in sheds, basements, outbuildings, and near haystacks. While the fire is small, the child observes what is happening, but as soon as the fire takes on frightening proportions, which happens within a few minutes, the natural reaction is fear, followed by the urge to hide. Fearing parental anger and punishment, some children run away and hide elsewhere. Most, however, covering their faces with their hands out of fear, remain forever in the fiery trap.
Children suffer from fire due to their unpreparedness. A child does not know how to behave in case of a fire, how to act, whom to ask for help, and most importantly, how to save themselves. And in this, adults are primarily to blame. Proper upbringing of children in the family, instilling in them skills of careful handling of fire, and organizing their leisure time are the keys to preventing fires and avoiding child injuries. Children should be taught the rules of safe handling of fire, not just told what is allowed and what is not. Unfortunately, in families, teaching children fire safety measures is often limited to prohibitive shouts: "Don't touch the matches, put the box back!", "Don't turn on the electric stove!", "Don't go near the gas stove!". However, children naturally have to use gas and electric stoves, and other electrical appliances (televisions, irons, etc.) in everyday life, which can cause fires. Therefore, when communicating with children, the emphasis should be placed not on prohibitions, but on explanations.
Psychologists advise: use the word "no" as rarely as possible. Use "substitutes", for example, "dangerous". It is better to tell the child: "Be careful! Turning on the stove by yourself is dangerous! You can burn your hand. Let me help you." And in general, use the wonderful word "can" to redirect your child's attention. For example: "Turning on the electric kettle by yourself is not allowed, but you can do it if dad is nearby." Teach the child to use electrical appliances and the stove, but step by step and under supervision. This applies to any situation. It is better to use the word "can" more often to shift your child's focus of attention.
Where and how the child spends their leisure time, who they befriend, and what games they are interested in – these questions should be a constant concern for parents.
The upbringing of a child's personal safety immunity should be done with a sense of proportion. Conversations on these topics should be conducted in a friendly manner. Education will not be in vain if the peculiarities of child psychology and individual characteristics of the child are taken into account, explaining and demonstrating through examples, games, films (cartoons), pictures, and real-life situations.
Explain what each device is for, how to use it correctly, and what precautions to take. Tell them that improper use of this device can cause a fire.
Once again, we draw parents' attention to the fact that children should not just be "protected from fire": do not leave them alone without supervision, do not allow them to play with matches and electrical appliances. It is necessary to teach children the rules of handling sources of fire and actions in case of a fire.
Measures to prevent fires from children's mischief:
- do not leave matches, lighters in plain sight;
- do not allow children to buy matches, cigarettes;
- monitor children's activities;
- do not leave children unattended;
- do not allow small children to observe burning stoves and heating appliances, to use gas appliances;
- teach your child your home address and phone number so that they can call for help from the rescue service if necessary;
- write emergency service numbers on a piece of paper near the phone, and explain to the child under what circumstances they can be used.