hoods better to tell their stories than - Allegheny West Magazine

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Over the last few months, we have had a chance to enjoy fireworks,
not only at Pirate games, but at local events like the July 4 fireworks
display in Robinson Township, and the fireworks extravaganza at
Kennedy Township’s Community Days.
When these fireworks go off, my dog tries to bury himself under a
couch or anywhere. He is a young pup, and this is probably a normal
reaction to a dog that is scared.
Similarly, what would a child do if he or she was scared? A child may
try to hide under a bed, or retreat to a closet. If this happens during a
house fire, the child may unfortunately not be found and may not
survive.
We hear many sad stories of children (and adults) who have lost their
lives in a fire. Too often, a child could not be found, to be rescued,
because he or she did what a child would normally do—hide, to get
away from what is scaring them. We have seen this happen in the
Western Pennsylvania area.
Just as we adults have fire drills at work, or take steps to prepare for
emergencies, children must be taught what to do, in case a bad situation
16 Allegheny West Magazine September/October 2012
arises. There is little doubt that children can be ready to handle an
emergency. We often hear news stories of children that have called 911,
or have helped with CPR or other medical emergencies. Children are
eager to learn, and are probably much brighter than we realize.
Does your house have an escape ladder? If your child sleeps in a
second floor bedroom, an inexpensive ladder can be purchased, that
would “roll out” the window. Your child needs to know how to use this
(and needs to know it is not a toy!). If you do not have one, please
consider getting one for each bedroom on an upper floor.
Does your child know what to do if a fire should occur? The normal
reaction for a child will be to hide, but that often is not the best scenario.
Do you conduct fire drills, or at least discuss what to do if a fire happens
at home? It may sound silly to do that, but you will be glad you did if
unfortunately a fire occurs. Most houses have various points of “escape,”
and a child (and each of us!) needs to know how and why to react.
Teaching your children some basic safety points may well avoid a
serious tragedy.
PHOTO BY STUDIO TEN,
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED