A Canadian edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) popular children’s educational series – Learn Not to Burn (LNTB), has been released by the Council of Canadian Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners in conjunction with fire departments across the province and the fire and carbon monoxide safety web site, safeathome.ca.
Teachers, pre-school educators and parents from Ontario can benefit from free access to the made-for-Canada edition of the LNTB curriculum, to complement community Fire Prevention Week initiatives, October 4 to 10.
Teachers across Ontario have been invited to download free Learn Not to Burn Lessons at www.safeathome.ca/lntb, and parents are encouraged to support the effort at home by using the online family fire safety activities.
The online activities and in-class lessons dovetail with this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep: Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm” which reinforces the importance of being able to hear smoke alarms at night when families are sleeping. On the website and in the classroom, children learn how to recognize the smoke alarm beep, what to do when it sounds, the fundamentals of a Home Fire Escape Plan, and how to tell between things that are hot and cold. The lessons are recommended by Curriculum Services Canada.
“Learn Not to Burn has long been recognized as the top fire safety educational program for children,” said Ryan Betts, acting manager, public safety education, Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management.
“Hearing the Beep Where You Sleep underscores the importance of smoke alarms that are properly installed, maintained, and which haven’t been tampered with,” said Carol Heller, home fire safety expert with Kidde Canada. “Also, parents are encouraged to research new smoke alarm technologies that help make upkeep easier, such as tamper-proof designs, 10-year sealed lithium battery models, and additional safety features such as talking alarms for the bedroom.”
The Learn Not to Burn National School Outreach runs throughout October and culminates on Nov. 1 at 10am with the Great Canadian Smoke Alarm Test, when families across Canada are encouraged to test their smoke alarm, where applicable, in conjunction with time changes and register their success online.
