What to Do in a Fire: Important Things to Teach Children about Fire Safety

What to Do in a Fire: The Most Important Things to Teach Children About Fire Safety

Fire kills hundreds of people across the UK every year, and children are among the most vulnerable. Teaching children what to do in a fire — and making sure that knowledge sticks — is one of the most valuable things any parent, carer or teacher can do. The good news is that children are remarkably receptive to fire safety when it is taught in a clear, engaging and practical way.

This post walks through the essential lessons every child should learn, from avoiding fire hazards in the first place to knowing exactly how to escape and who to call. Work through these topics with your children and you will give them skills that could one day save their lives.

Start With the Basics: Fire Is a Tool, Not a Toy

Before anything else, children need to understand what fire actually is. Many young children are naturally fascinated by flames, which makes early education all the more critical.

Explain clearly that fire is useful — it heats our homes, cooks our food, and provides warmth — but that it is also extremely dangerous when it is not controlled. Reinforce the message that fire is something only adults manage, and that playing with anything that creates fire is never acceptable.

Teaching Children to Recognise Fire Hazards

One of the most effective ways to teach young children about fire safety is to make it concrete and hands-on. Gather a selection of everyday objects — matches, candles, a torch, a lighter — and talk through each one together.

Ask the children which items are safe for them to touch and which are not. This kind of interactive discussion helps the lesson land far more effectively than simply telling them what to avoid. Key hazards to cover include:

• Matches and lighters — never to be touched without adult supervision
• Candles — always lit and managed by adults only
• The cooker and hob — a no-go zone for children unless an adult is present and supervising
• Electrical sockets and overloaded plugs — a surprisingly common cause of house fires
• Portable heaters — children should be kept well away from these at all times

Safety Around Open Fires and Outdoor Cooking

Barbecues, campfires and fire pits are a normal part of family life, especially during summer. Children should be taught to enjoy these occasions safely rather than being kept entirely away from them.

The rule of thumb is simple: at least an arm’s length away from any open flame at all times. Whether you are roasting marshmallows, cooking sausages or simply sitting around a campfire, that distance should be maintained. Reinforce this rule consistently so it becomes second nature.

Children should also understand that they must never throw anything into a fire — even seemingly harmless items can cause sudden flare-ups or release toxic fumes.

What to Do in a Fire: Stop, Drop and Roll

Knowing what to do in a fire when clothing catches alight is a potentially life-saving skill. The technique — stop, drop and roll — is simple enough for very young children to learn and remember.

Teach it like this:

1. Stop — do not run, as running fans the flames
2. Drop — fall to the ground immediately and cover your face with your hands
3. Roll — roll back and forth to smother the flames

Because rolling on the floor is naturally fun for children, this is one of the easier techniques to practise. There are also songs and rhymes available online that make the sequence memorable for younger children — use them. The more often a child practises this, the more automatic the response will be under pressure.

Crawling Low in Smoke

Children should also be taught that in a fire, smoke rises. The air closest to the floor is the safest to breathe. If there is smoke in a room or corridor, they should get down low and crawl towards the nearest exit.

Practise this with them at home. Make a game of it. The physical memory of crawling low will be far more useful in a real emergency than any verbal instruction given in the moment.

Escaping a Fire: Get Out and Stay Out

One of the most critical messages in any fire safety lesson is this: once you are out of a burning building, you do not go back in. Not for toys. Not for pets. Not for anything.

Children need to hear this message repeatedly and clearly, because the instinct to retrieve a beloved toy or help a friend can be overwhelming in the moment. Explain that the fire service is trained to handle exactly these situations, and that their job is to stay safe and call for help.

Calling Emergency Services

Every child should know how to call 999. Practise this with them — not just the number, but what to say. Teach them to:

• State that there is a fire
• Give their address or location as clearly as possible
• Stay on the line if it is safe to do so
• Wait for the emergency services at a safe distance from the building

Role-playing this scenario is one of the best ways to build confidence. Children who have practised calling for help are far less likely to freeze in a real emergency.

The Hidden Danger: Asbestos After a Fire

Here is something many parents do not think to mention — and it matters. If a fire breaks out in an older property, there is a real risk that asbestos-containing materials have been disturbed. Asbestos fibres can become airborne during and after a fire, posing a serious health risk to anyone nearby.

This is another powerful reason to teach children never to re-enter a building that has been on fire. Beyond the immediate danger of flames and smoke, disturbed asbestos is invisible and odourless — entirely undetectable without professional testing.

If your home or workplace has been affected by fire, arranging an asbestos test for the property before anyone re-enters is not optional — it is essential. Properties built before the year 2000 are particularly likely to contain asbestos in insulation, floor tiles, ceiling tiles and textured coatings. If you are based in the capital and need professional advice, an asbestos survey London can provide the clarity you need before the building is reoccupied.

Finding and Using Exits Safely

Children spend a significant portion of their lives in buildings other than their own home — schools, community centres, sports halls, friends’ houses. Fire safety education needs to cover all of these environments, not just the family home.

Checking Doors Before Opening Them

Teach children to check a door before opening it during a fire. If the door handle or the door itself feels hot, the fire is likely on the other side. In that case, they should not open it. Instead, they should:

• Back away from the door
• Look for an alternative exit such as a window
• If trapped, signal for help through the window and wait for the fire service

This is a simple rule that children can absorb quickly, and it could prevent them from walking directly into a fire.

Fire Drills at School

School fire drills are not just a legal obligation — they are an invaluable teaching tool. Make sure your children understand why drills happen and take them seriously. Talk to them after each drill about what they did, where the exits were, and what they would do differently.

Familiarity with exit routes in a calm, non-emergency setting means children are far more likely to use them correctly when it counts. Encourage them to take notice of fire exit signs wherever they go.

Keep Exits Clear at All Times

Teaching children to keep exit routes free of clutter is a lesson that benefits the whole household. Toys, bags, shoes and other items left in hallways or near doors can block escape routes and cost precious seconds in an emergency.

Make tidying exits part of the regular household routine. Frame it as a safety habit rather than a chore — children respond better when they understand the reason behind a rule. A clear hallway is not just tidy; it is potentially life-saving.

This principle applies equally in commercial and public buildings. If you manage a property in a major city, ensuring exit routes are compliant and unobstructed is part of your broader fire safety and legal obligations. Premises in the North West, for example, should also consider whether legacy building materials pose a risk — an asbestos survey Manchester can identify any hazardous materials before they become a problem.

Practise Multiple Escape Scenarios

No two fires are the same, and no single escape route is guaranteed to be available. The families who are best prepared are those who have practised multiple scenarios — not just the obvious front-door exit.

Walk through your home with your children and identify at least two ways out of every room. Then practise using them. Consider scenarios such as:

• The front door is blocked — what is the alternative?
• The hallway is full of smoke — can you exit through a window?
• It is the middle of the night — can you navigate the house in the dark?

That last point is particularly important. Practising escape routes in low or no light prepares children for the reality of a night-time fire, when visibility may be near zero due to both darkness and smoke. Children who have physically navigated their home in the dark are far better equipped to do so under pressure.

Creating a Family Fire Plan

Every household should have a written fire escape plan that all family members — including children — have seen and discussed. The plan should include:

• Primary and secondary escape routes from each room
• A designated meeting point outside the property
• Who is responsible for helping younger children or elderly relatives
• The emergency services number (999) and how to use it

Review and practise the plan at least twice a year. Make it a family activity rather than a formal exercise — children engage far better when it feels collaborative rather than instructional.

Smoke Alarms: Teaching Children What They Mean

Children should know what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear one. Many young children find the sound alarming and may hide or freeze rather than evacuate — which is exactly the wrong response.

Introduce your children to the smoke alarm in your home. Let them hear it in a controlled, non-emergency setting so the sound is familiar. Explain clearly that when the alarm sounds, the only correct response is to follow the escape plan and get out of the building.

Test your smoke alarms monthly and involve your children in doing so. This normalises the sound and reinforces the importance of working alarms. The law requires working smoke alarms on every floor of a residential property in England — make sure yours are compliant.

Property managers and landlords across the Midlands should also be aware of their broader building safety obligations, which can include checking for hazardous legacy materials. An asbestos survey Birmingham is a sensible first step for any pre-2000 commercial or residential building undergoing inspection or refurbishment.

Making Fire Safety Education Stick

The single biggest challenge with fire safety education for children is retention. Information taught once and never revisited will not be there when it is needed most. Here is how to make it stick:

• Repeat regularly — revisit key messages at least a few times a year
• Make it physical — role-play, drills and practice sessions are far more effective than verbal instruction alone
• Use songs and rhymes — particularly effective for younger children learning stop, drop and roll
• Praise and reinforce — acknowledge when children remember and apply what they have been taught
• Keep it age-appropriate — younger children need simpler messages; older children can handle more detail and nuance

Fire safety is not a one-off conversation. It is an ongoing part of raising children who are aware, confident and capable of protecting themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

At what age should I start teaching children about fire safety?

You can begin introducing basic fire safety concepts from around three to four years old. At this age, children can understand simple rules such as not touching matches or the cooker. As they grow, you can introduce more complex concepts like escape routes, calling 999 and what to do if their clothing catches fire. The key is to keep the language and activities age-appropriate and to revisit the lessons regularly.

How often should we practise a home fire escape drill?

Fire safety experts recommend practising your home escape plan at least twice a year. However, if you have made any changes to your home — such as new furniture blocking a route, or a change in sleeping arrangements — revisit the plan immediately. Drills do not need to be formal or stressful; a calm walkthrough is enough to keep the routes fresh in everyone’s minds.

What should children do if they are trapped in a room during a fire?

If a child cannot safely exit a room, they should close the door to slow the spread of smoke and fire, move to the window, and signal for help. They should not open the door if it feels hot. If there is a phone available, they should call 999 and tell the operator exactly where they are. Staying low to avoid smoke inhalation is also important while they wait for help.

Why should children never go back into a burning building?

Re-entering a burning building is extremely dangerous, even for trained adults. Smoke inhalation can incapacitate a person within minutes, structural elements can collapse without warning, and in older buildings, fire can disturb asbestos-containing materials, releasing toxic fibres into the air. Children should be taught firmly and repeatedly that once they are out, they stay out — no matter what has been left behind.

What is the link between fire and asbestos in older buildings?

Many properties built before 2000 contain asbestos in materials such as insulation, floor tiles, artex ceilings and pipe lagging. When a fire occurs, these materials can be damaged and release asbestos fibres into the air. Inhaling asbestos fibres is a serious health risk and can lead to conditions including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Any property affected by fire should be professionally assessed before re-entry. Supernova Asbestos Surveys can carry out a thorough inspection to confirm whether the building is safe.

Talk to Supernova Asbestos Surveys

If your property has been affected by fire, or if you simply want to ensure your building is safe before children or staff return to it, Supernova Asbestos Surveys is here to help. With over 50,000 surveys completed across the UK, we provide fast, accurate and fully accredited asbestos surveys for residential, commercial and public sector properties.

Call us on 020 4586 0680 or visit asbestos-surveys.org.uk to book a survey or speak to one of our specialists. Your building’s safety — and the safety of everyone in it — is too important to leave to chance.