Fire is useful -- Fire is fascinating -- Fire is fun -- But PLAYING
WITH FIRE CAN BE DEADLY!
Fire
People have been using fire for over a million
years. Most people in the world still use fire for heat and cooking.
Fire is fascinating to watch. With its changing
shapes and colours, it seems almost to be a living thing, and because of
this it has become a symbol of life and hope.
Before every Olympic Games, a burning torch is
carried from the last place the Games were held to where the new Games will
be, and the torch is kept burning until the Games are over.
Fires and candles are a part of many religious
ceremonies, and of celebrations like birthdays and Halloween. Lots of people
celebrate special occasions with fireworks as well.
Children and Fire
Almost all young children are curious about fire.
They want to know how fire looks and feels, what it can do, and how it
works. Because of this, they light small fires or play with matches and
lighters. They may also try to copy adults by lighting candles, cigarettes
and fireplaces.
Many fires started by curious children are in or
near their homes - in a cupboard (closet), a bedroom, or the back yard - and
the awful truth is that a fire started by a curious child can have the same
terrible results as one started by an arsonist (someone who deliberately
sets fire to someone else's property).
Older children may start fires because it's
exciting to do something they know can be dangerous. (At least half of all
school-age boys experiment with fire at least once.) Some children start
fires because other children have 'dared' them to, or as a 'cry for help'
when they feel unable to cope with something that has happened to them.
Children who are old enough to understand the idea
of cause and effect can learn that fire is dangerous and that it can injure
not only themselves, but also their family and their home. With the help of
an adult, children can learn to use fire safely. Even young children can
learn that a match is a 'tool', not a toy, and, like other tools, it should
be used only in the right way.
Older children can help to teach younger sisters
and brothers about fire, and join in with planning fire safety around the
home.
The Deadly Dangers of Juvenile Firesetting
Children start almost half of all fires
deliberately set in the USA. Once started, these fires can very quickly get
out of control, causing enormous amounts of damage to property, and badly
injuring or even killing people!
One
of every 13 building-fire deaths in the USA is caused by a child setting a
fire.
Nine
out of ten people who die in fires started by children are children
themselves.
Children
playing with fire cause more than a third of preschool child deaths by
fire.
One
out of every three children who die in home fires actually start the fire
that kills them.
The problem is that most young people think they
are indestructible, like Superman, and it takes a lot to get them to think
about the possible results of what they do and to realise that they can
be badly hurt or even die.
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