"Curious kids set fires"
MAFF provides factsheet for teaching children Fire Safety

Fire fighters know this unpleasant truth better than anyone else possibly could: every day Americans experience the tragedy of fire. The statistics are grim. Each year more than 5,000 Americans die in fires and more than 25,000 are injured. Additional figures show that each year about 450 people are killed and $300 million in property is destroyed in fires attributed to children playing with fire.

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) encourages parents to teach children at an early age about the dangers of playing with fire, in an effort to prevent child injuries, fire deaths and fire-setting behavior in the future. Here are some sobering facts about children and fires.

• Children under age 5 are especially curious about fire. Often what begins as a natural
  exploration of the unknown can lead to tragedy.
• Children of all ages set over 100,000 fires annually. Approximately 25,000 of those fires
  are set in homes.
• Children make up between 20% - 25% of all fire deaths.
• Over 30% of the fires that kill children are set by children playing with fire.
• At home, children usually play with fire in bedrooms, in closets and under beds. These are
  "secret" places where there are a lot of things that catch fire easily.
• Too often, child firesetters are not given proper guidance and supervision by parents
  and teachers. Consequently, they repeat their firesetting behavior.

Practice Fire Safety in Your Home

The following is a list of important fire safety guidelines, courtesy of MAFF, for fire fighters to provide to schools and homes in their municipalities.

• Supervise young children closely. Do not leave them alone even for short periods of time.
• Keep matches and lighters in a secured drawer or cabinet.
• Have your children tell you when they find matches and lighters.
• Check under beds and in closets for burned matches, evidence your child may be playing
  with fire.
• Develop a home fire escape plan, practice it with your children and designate a meeting place
  outside.
• Take the mystery out of fire play by teaching children that fire is a tool, not a toy.
• Teach children the nature of fire. It is FAST, HOT, DARK and DEADLY!
• Teach children not to hide from fire fighters, but to get out quickly and call for help from another
  location.
• Show children how to crawl low on the floor, below the smoke, to get out of the house and stay
  out in the case of fire.
• Demonstrate how to stop, drop to the ground and roll if their clothes catch fire.
• Install smoke alarms on every level in your home.
• Familiarize children with the sound of your smoke alarm.
• Test smoke alarms each month and replace their batteries at least once a year.
• Replace the smoke alarm every ten years, or as recommended by the manufacturer.

Finally, please emphasize that:
1. Having a working smoking alarm dramatically increases family members' chances of surviving
   a fire.
2. Families should practice a home escape plan frequently.