Children are educated in fire safety at TheDOJO in Rutherford NJ: a report by Sensei Dan Rominski of self-defense

Teaching Children Fire Safety at TheDOJO in Rutherford, NJ: The Basics

A Martial Arts Education of Intelligent Curriculum at The DOJO
Curated by Sensei Dan Rominski

Get Out & Stay Out When we teach fire safety to children one of the most important lessons is the concept of "Get Out & Stay Out".  Discuss with your children that if they are in a house or building that is on fire they should yell fire to alert others & to immediately "Get Out & Stay Out".  Fires can spread rapidly & we do not want to get trapped inside a burning house or building.  Upon hearing a smoke detector or fire alarm Get Out & Stay Out. Never go back inside for anything such as a toy or pet.  Fireman are good at what they do so leave it to them. Go to Your Family Meeting Place Everyone should have a "Family Meeting Place".  A Family Meeting Place is a place the entire family should know to meet if they need to evacuate a house or building that is on fire, or for any other emergency.  Everyone should know an exact location such as the neighbors front steps or the tree on the neighbors front lawn.  From there call out for help for others to call 911. This saves lives as each year firemen are at risk looking for people in a burning building who are not even in there.  A Family Meeting Place ensures everyone is out safely & at a safe distance from the danger. Preparing an Escape Plan - Plan Your Route At Home In the event of a fire one should escape through the nearest exit.  If that way out is blocked one should have a secondary escape route.  Plan Your Route is to practice fire drills at home of at least two escape routes.  The Fire Escape Plan Game is setting up a series of arrows marking the way out for children to follow as they practice home fire drills.  Role play some scenario's to best prepare for escaping.  Parents pretend to sound the alarm from different parts of the house such as while sleeping in bed to familiarize children with various ways to escape.  Have alternate routes.  In one scenario a child can practice escaping from sleeping in their bedroom.  They can follow hand drawn arrows on pieces of paper on the floor leading to a primary & secondary exit.  Make it more realistic by having a route unexpectedly marked with a drawing of a fire so the child will need to change course & find another way out.  Closed doors can also be marked with drawings of a fire so children learn how to properly feel a door before they open it & to change their route if needed.  Ultimately the goal is to exit the home & go to your Family Meeting Place. When Not at Home:  In a movie theatre, restaurant, school, hotel, mall, a friend or relative's house or any unfamiliar setting always make a mental note upon entering where the nearest exit is & a secondary exit. In the event of any kind of emergency when you'll need to get out quickly you'll have an escape plan ready.  Even while on vacation establish a family meeting when staying over somewhere that is not your home. Preparing an Escape Plan - Plan Your Route At Home In the event of a fire one should escape through the nearest exit.  If that way out is blocked one should have a secondary escape route.  Plan Your Route is to practice fire drills at home of at least two escape routes.  The Fire Escape Plan Game is setting up a series of arrows marking the way out for children to follow as they practice home fire drills.  Role play some scenario's to best prepare for escaping.  Parents pretend to sound the alarm from different parts of the house such as while sleeping in bed to familiarize children with various ways to escape.  Have alternate routes.  In one scenario a child can practice escaping from sleeping in their bedroom.  They can follow hand drawn arrows on pieces of paper on the floor leading to a primary & secondary exit.  Make it more realistic by having a route unexpectedly marked with a drawing of a fire so the child will need to change course & find another way out.  Closed doors can also be marked with drawings of a fire so children learn how to properly feel a door before they open it & to change their route if needed.  Ultimately the goal is to exit the home & go to your Family Meeting Place. When Not at Home:  In a movie theatre, restaurant, school, hotel, mall, a friend or relative's house or any unfamiliar setting always make a mental note upon entering where the nearest exit is & a secondary exit. In the event of any kind of emergency when you'll need to get out quickly you'll have an escape plan ready.  Even while on vacation establish a family meeting when staying over somewhere that is not your home. Preparing an Escape Plan - Plan Your Route At Home In the event of a fire one should escape through the nearest exit.  If that way out is blocked one should have a secondary escape route.  Plan Your Route is to practice fire drills at home of at least two escape routes.  The Fire Escape Plan Game is setting up a series of arrows marking the way out for children to follow as they practice home fire drills.  Role play some scenario's to best prepare for escaping.  Parents pretend to sound the alarm from different parts of the house such as while sleeping in bed to familiarize children with various ways to escape.  Have alternate routes.  In one scenario a child can practice escaping from sleeping in their bedroom.  They can follow hand drawn arrows on pieces of paper on the floor leading to a primary & secondary exit.  Make it more realistic by having a route unexpectedly marked with a drawing of a fire so the child will need to change course & find another way out.  Closed doors can also be marked with drawings of a fire so children learn how to properly feel a door before they open it & to change their route if needed.  Ultimately the goal is to exit the home & go to your Family Meeting Place. When Not at Home:  In a movie theatre, restaurant, school, hotel, mall, a friend or relative's house or any unfamiliar setting always make a mental note upon entering where the nearest exit is & a secondary exit. In the event of any kind of emergency when you'll need to get out quickly you'll have an escape plan ready.  Even while on vacation establish a family meeting when staying over somewhere that is not your home.

Have a Fire Ladder Every bedroom should have a Fire Ladder.  Bedrooms may have one door & one or more windows.  If the bedroom door is the primary escape route but is blocked by a fire then the window may become the secondary escape route.  For rooms on a second floor or higher have a Fire Ladder in every bedroom or playroom. On higher levels this makes using the window as an escape route much safer & practical.  The Fire Ladder can be stored in a closet or under a bed & can be purchased at home improvement stores where fire safety devices are sold.  Crawling Low in Smoke: Heat rises & smoke accumulates higher up in a room so when necessary crawl under the smoke on your hands & knees.  If the smoke makes seeing difficult keep a hand on the wall & follow it until one comes upon a door or window that can be used as an exit.  While traveling some hotels can have long hallways of similarly looking doors.Exit signs are high up & smoke can block them making the bottoms of the door the most visible part but not helpful if the all look the same.  A good practice is to count the doorways to a fire exit or fire stairwell to know which door leads to the way out.  Also when booking a hotel room fire ladders may only reach about 100 feet high or about 7 stories.  Try to book a low room.  However inspect that the hotel has a working sprinkler system, working smoke detectors & two fire stairwells.  Also create a family meeting place while staying away from home.  Your home may have working smoke detectors but does the family or friends house you are visiting have them?  When staying over take note.   Feel the Door Before Opening It : Before opening a door first make sure it's safe & that a fire is not on the other side.  Feel the door as high up as you can reach with the back of your hand.  if it's hot don't open the door & find another way out.  Be sure to have Fire Ladders in bedrooms that are high up.  This can make the use of a window as a secondary escape route a safer one. Smoke Detectors & Carbon Monoxide Detectors Install Smoke Detectors & Carbon Monoxide Detectors on every floor including the basement.  They should also be within ten feet of every bedroom & test them monthly & when returning from vacation.  While away on vacation the unit with a low battery alert chirp or beep may go off while no one is home to hear it.  The battery can die before returning & no one would know.  In this case no one would know the batteries would need replacing.  Also use the "Change Your Clocks Change Your Batteries" practice to keep smoke & carbon monoxide detectors operating correctly.  Install carbon monoxide detectors & even smoke detectors inside bedrooms as well.  Replace the actual smoke detector every seven years & carbon monoxide detector every five years to ensure proper operation.  When you install them label the detectors with the date you purchased them so you know when to replace them. Change your Clocks, Change Your Batteries When changing your clocks twice a year for Daylight Savings in the Spring & Fall it's a good practice to also at that time change the batteries in smoke & carbon monoxide detectors.  This is a great reminder. Fire Extinguishers  Have a fire extinguisher on every level of a house including the basement, garage & even your automobile.  According to the Rochester Fire Department: Fire extinguishers used properly can be effective against small fires. There are certain conditions that you must follow before attempting to use an extinguisher: 1First, know how to use the fire extinguisher before an emergency. There is no time to try to read the instructions on its use during a fire. 2Alert someone to call 911 to alert the fire department. Depending on your occupancy, alerting others may be done by pulling a local alarm box if you have this type of alarm system.  3Make sure you have the right fire extinguisher for the class of fire, and that you have an exit to your back in which to escape.  DON'T put a fire between you and an exit in which to escape. 4Use the "PASS" word as a reminder for using the fire extinguisher: ◦Pull the pin out (this will break the plastic seal used to hold the pin in). ◦Aim at the base of the fire with the nozzle, or hose. ◦Squeeze the levers together to discharge the extinguisher. ◦Sweep the fire from side to side while aiming at the base of the fire. The Classes of Fires * Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, and paper. * Class B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, oil, and oil-based paint. * Class C: Energized electrical equipment such as a TV, computer, stereo, etc. * Class D: Combustible metals such as magnesium. Basic Types of Fire Extinguishers  *ABC Dry Chemical:  Multipurpose type, useful for class A, B, and C fires. *Carbon Dioxide: Useful on class B and class C fires *Water: Used only on class A fires *ABC Dry Chemical: Fire extinguishers are the best type to purchase for the home. If you have a fire, get out and stay out, and call 911 from a neighbor's house.  Stop, Drop, Roll & Cover Your Face Fire Hazards Eliminate fire hazards.  Use Extension cords for temporary use & don't leave them plugged in unattended or run them under carpets & across door ways. Use surge protectors instead of power strips.  Unplug heaters, cooking appliances, irons & other devices after using them & never leave them unattended.   Keep a three foot safety range for children to stay out of while cooking.  Don't leave leave a stove unattended while cooking.  Keep pan & pot handles turned in to prevent hazards.  Never leave a candle in a room unattended.  Never Play with Fire Discuss with children fire safety & review regularly.  Don't allow children to play with matches, candles or lighters & set a good example by using them correctly. Familiarizing Children with Fireman & their Fire Fighting Equipment  Children should get to know how a fireman's equipment operates.  During a fire children can become scared & hide making it difficult for fireman to find them for rescue.  Fireman use respirators that make strange noises & wear protective clothing & masks which can be scaring looking & sounding.  Be sure to have children attend school assemblies during fire prevention month in October & visit open house events at a fire department.  This introduces children to Fireman & their Rescue Gear also seeing a fireman suit up in their gears lets children know that their is a person inside that scary outfit that is there to help them during a fire. We teach Self-Defense to children. Get more information about our Martial Arts Education of Intelligent Curriculum involving Everything Self-Defense at TheDOJO located in Rutherford NJ. Contact Chief Instructor & Owner Sensei Dan Rominski at (201) 933-3050 or email SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org Visit our website www.TheDOJO.org TheDOJO Teaching Children Martial Arts (Karate Judo & Jujitsu) TheDOJO We Teach Martial Arts to Young People, Karate for kids in Rutherford NJ with Sensei Dan We teach punching, kicking, blocking, wrestling & every aspect of the arts of self-defense that we ourselves have studied. It's good stuff & not only are we good at what we do, but every teacher our team is working to improve his or her skills, daily. Speaking of who is teaching, Sensei Dan the Master Teacher & Owner of TheDOJO can be found teaching most every class assisted by instructors.  What we do best is teach children/students, be it children, teens or adults how to overcome obstacles, set goals & work well with others We offer a Free Introductory Course to any parent or individual interested in seeing exactly what we do. Try a free class click here on our website www.TheDOJO.org Some of the Styles Taught at the advanced level:Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate, Shorin Ryu Karate, Judo, Jujutsu (Jiujitsu/JiuJutsu/Jiu-Jitsu), Kendo, Ryu Kyu Kobudo, Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido,, Kung Fu, Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, Aikido, Reality Based Self Defense Training to name but a few.Contact info: TheDOJO 52 Park Avenue Rutherford, NJ 07070 Phone: (201) 933-3050 Text us for info here: (201) 838-4177 Our e-mail address: SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org Our Facebook page: Like us at TheDOJO or Friend us DanRominski Our youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/DanRominski Our Twitter twitter.com/danrominski Instagram: instagram.com/danrominski A link to where our school is on Google Maps: www.google.com/maps/place/TheDOJO/@40.828037,-74.103237,1... If you live in the Rutherford, NJ area and would like to inquire about our programs, reach out to us at the phone and/or e-mail or text addresses above. -Sensei Dan