Children don't seek danger – they're just playing!

One of the reasons for fires is children's mischief with fire. But before we start our conversation, dear parents, try to honestly answer some questions for yourselves. Have you ever had to leave your child at 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 die? 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 moralizing conversations are not for me. Alas, the statistics are harsh and relentless.

Since the beginning of 2023, 4 children have died in fires.

On April 15, rescuers in Orsha received a report of a fire in an apartment on Zadneprovskaya Street in the city of Orsha.

Upon arrival at the scene, the fire department observed nothing, but during the reconnaissance, the smell of smoke was present in the entrance hall.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire occurred in an apartment on the second floor of a five-story building. The owner's daughter, born in 1995, lived there with her sister, born in 1998, and two sons, born in 2015 and 2017.

During the firefighting, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations found a woman born in 1995 and her son born in 2017 in an unconscious state in the apartment. After resuscitation measures by the ambulance team, their deaths were confirmed.

As a result of the fire, the walls and ceiling in the apartment were smoked, and property in the living room was damaged.

A check is being conducted regarding this fact, and the cause of the fire is being established.

On May 24, a woman and two young children died in a fire in the Pinsk district.

On May 24, at 1:39 AM, rescuers were informed about a fire in a residential building on Sportivnaya Street in the village of Chukhovo, Pinsk district.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations units immediately departed for the specified address. Upon arrival, it was found that the wooden residential building was completely engulfed in flames.

During the reconnaissance, a woman born in 1989, who lived with the owner, their young daughter born in 2020, and son born in 2022, were found deceased.

The owner of the house was at work at the time of the fire.

The fire destroyed the roof, ceiling, and property; the walls were damaged. The cause of the incident is being established.

On May 25, at 21:53, the duty service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Volkovysk district received a report that a private residential house was on fire in the village of Konyukhi on Novaya Street. Fire crews and specialists from interacting services were immediately dispatched to the scene.

Upon arrival at the scene, rescuers established that the roof of the wooden structure was completely engulfed in flames, and it had partially collapsed.

It was found that a family with a child born in 2008 lives in the house. At the time of the fire, a teenager was in the dwelling; the parents had gone to the store.

During the extinguishing of the fire and reconnaissance, rescuers found the owners' son deceased under the debris of the building structures.

The fire destroyed the roof, ceiling, and property, and damaged the walls.

Ministry of Emergency Situations employees provided psychological assistance to the relatives of the deceased child. The causes of the fire and the teenager's death are being established.

Nationwide, in 2022, 14 children died in fires (one of them in the Verkhnedvinsk district of the Vitebsk region).

This is precisely why we appeal to you, dear parents, again and again, and try not only to provide real-life examples but to reach everyone. You teach your children to be polite, take care of 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 carelessness with fire? Examining each case of a child's death, one realizes that the tragedies were accompanied by ordinary life circumstances – parents went to work, to the store, to neighbors, or were engaged in household chores in the yard. In other words, children were left unsupervised. And then comes the irreparable and cruel consequence of parental negligence: the death of a child.

In their games, children often repeat the actions and deeds of adults. The desire for independence is especially evident 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 become interested in the operation of household appliances, which are abundant in every apartment.

Therefore, before leaving home, it is necessary to entrust the supervision of the child to older children or an adult. So that the child does not get bored, you should give them a task: suggest a game theme, select the right toys. It is especially dangerous to leave children alone in locked apartments or rooms. In case of fire, they will not be able to leave the burning premises on their own. In addition, escaping from fire and smoke, children usually hide in wardrobes, under beds, tables, in corners of rooms. Finding children in a developing fire situation is not easy. Examples

Skills of careful handling of fire must be instilled in children starting from 4-5 years of age. One must strive for the child to realize that matches are not a toy, and fire is not a game, so that they form an impression of fire as a severe disaster for people.

Preschool and primary school children, especially boys, like to use matches and flammable objects in their games. Children lack life experience, and therefore cannot foresee the consequences of their actions. The most common games involving children are those related to lighting fires. They choose appropriate places for bonfires, away from parental eyes – in attics, sheds, basements, outbuildings, near haystacks. While the fire is small, the child observes what is happening; as soon as the fire reaches frightening proportions, which happens within minutes, the natural reaction is fear, followed by an urge to hide. Fearing parental anger and punishment, some children run away and hide elsewhere. Most, however, cover their faces with their hands in fear and remain forever in the fiery trap.

Children suffer from fire due to their lack of preparedness. 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 adults are primarily to blame for this. Proper upbringing of children in the family, instilling in them skills for careful handling of fire, and organizing their leisure time are key to preventing fires and preventing child injuries. Children need to 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 matches, put the box back!", "Don't turn on the electric stove!", "Don't go near the gas stove!". However, in everyday life, children naturally have to use gas and electric stoves, and other electrical appliances (TVs, irons, etc.) – everything that can cause a fire. Therefore, when communicating with children, the focus should be on explanations, not prohibitions.

Psychologists advise: use the word "cannot" as rarely as possible. Use "substitutes," such as "dangerous." It is better to tell a child: "Be careful! It is dangerous to turn on the stove yourself! 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: "You cannot turn on the electric kettle yourself, but you can do it if dad is nearby." Teach your child to use electrical appliances and stoves, 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 a child spends their leisure time, who they make friends with, and what games they are fond of – these issues should be the subject of constant parental attention.

Instilling a sense of personal safety in a child should be done with a sense of proportion. Conversations on these topics should be conducted in a friendly manner. Learning will not be in vain if you consider the peculiarities of child psychology and the individual characteristics of the child, explain and demonstrate with examples, games, films (cartoons), pictures, and real-life situations.

Explain what each appliance is intended for, how to use it correctly, and what precautions to take. Explain that if used incorrectly, the appliance can cause a fire.

We draw parents' attention once again to the fact that children should not just be "protected from fire": do not leave them alone unattended, 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 fire.

Measures to prevent fires caused by children's mischief:

- do not leave matches or lighters in plain sight;

- do not allow children to buy matches or cigarettes;

- monitor children's leisure activities;

- do not leave children unattended;

- do not allow young children to watch stoves or heating appliances being heated, or to use gas appliances;

- teach your child your home address and phone number so that they can contact the rescue service for help if necessary;

- near the phone, on a piece of paper, write down the emergency service numbers and explain to the child under what circumstances they can be used

Inspector of the Department of Supervision and Prevention of Emergencies of the Miory District Department for Emergency Situations O.M. Girzha