Last week I wrote an article asking readers to consider whether your kids are prepared for an emergency. I shared the story of how my own children reacted when my husband, bleeding badly from a scalp wound, called out for help. Their reaction in that emergency was not what I had hoped, and after doing some research, I discovered that it is not unusual for kids to do all the wrong things in a bad situation.
I realized it is not enough to teach your kids what they should do in an emergency situation. They actually need to be tested, preferably through an exercise like a fire drill where the danger is simulated. I committed to hold a fire drill in my own home and report the results here, so that others can learn from our experience. Last night, we completed that drill.
Preparation may not equal success
I have done more than a lot of parents to prepare my children for a fire. I’ve done so because we live in a split level home and the kids’ bedrooms do not have windows, so preparation for a house fire is even more necessary because their avenues of escape are limited. Also, my grandmother died after receiving third degree burns over 95 percent of her body when I was ten years old. I take fire safety very seriously.
I thought that running through fire scenarios, planning escape routes and learning safety procedures from the National Fire Protection Association would be enough. We discussed our safety plan regularly, and updated it as the children grew older. Unfortunately, I learned last night all the daytime preparation in the world is no substitute for a nighttime drill.
Results of our fire drill
I had to suppress the giggles as I sneaked downstairs to set off the smoke alarm. I thought for sure my twins would come running out of their rooms in confusion, and then remember the plan. My amusement quickly faded as the smoke alarm blared and neither child made a sound. Approximately 30 seconds went by before my daughter moaned incoherently.
Several more seconds went by as my daughter whined “Turn it off” in a mumbling voice about half a dozen times. A fear settled like a stone in my stomach as I imagined what would happen in the case of a real fire. Finally, my daughter called out in a sleepy cry for her brother. When he heard her say his name, he immediately jumped out of bed.
By then, it had been more than a full minute since the alarm started. In a real fire, you may have only a couple of minutes to escape.
My son saw me in the hall between their rooms and asked what was going on. I said, “Fire! Get out!” He acted very confused and just stood still. I said again, “Fire! Get your sister and get out!” Had the danger been real, he would not have had those verbal instructions.
My son went into my daughter’s room, but neither of them came out until I yelled one more time, “Get out! Fire!” Finally they came stumbling out of the room, neither of them ducking low to avoid smoke inhalation. They went up the stairs instead of out the back door, the planned route to safety we had so often discussed.
My children would have likely died
As I mentioned in my last article, approximately 50 percent of people who die in fires were trying to escape. If my children reacted to a real fire as they did in the drill, they would most likely die. This reality scares me, but also motivates me to hold more fire drills while the kids are asleep, until their subconscious mind is trained to react to the sound of the smoke alarm and they know instinctively what to do.
Please take our experience to heart if you have children. Hold a fire drill of your own, a couple of hours after your children go to bed when they are most likely to be in a state of deep sleep. If your kids need improvement, give them the chance to learn the right responses before a real emergency occurs.
More by Tavia:
Do Your Kids Know What to Do in an Emergency?
Helping Kids Cope with Broken Bones
Protecting your children from predators in public places
