DEAR PARENTS! Spring break is just around the corner, which means children will be visiting their grandparents in the countryside or staying home alone. Often, tragedies involving children occur where parental supervision weakens or is absent altogether, but tragedies also happen when children are seemingly supervised…
For the Ministry of Emergency Situations, fires resulting in child fatalities remain among the most alarming. The main cause of fires with child fatalities, as practice shows, is the carelessness of parents leaving them unsupervised and children’s mischief with fire. Adults sometimes do not even consider that by leaving children, even for a short period, they are risking their lives. Of course, no parent wishes harm upon their child, but in most cases, tragedies involving children are simply due to adult carelessness.
To avoid tragedy, find the time and words to explain to your child how dangerous fire is, and remind them of this periodically. Persuasion alone is not enough; reinforce it with a personal example: it is pointless to explain fire safety rules to a child when their mother throws a burning match into the bin, and their father plays with a lighter. Young children lack sufficient knowledge and life experience, so they try to imitate the adults around them, primarily their parents. Therefore, it is within your power to instil the foundations of safe behaviour in a child.
Secure your home. Properly operate electrical appliances after studying the operating instructions. Charge chargers, power banks, and other electrical equipment only during the day, personally supervising the process. Ensure heating appliances, such as stoves, are in good working order, and carry out their cosmetic repairs and chimney cleaning in a timely manner. Monitor the condition of chimneys within attics. It is important to service gas equipment promptly, involving specialists from the gas sector. It is prohibited to repair or replace gas supply equipment yourself. Under no circumstances should you smoke in your homes; apart from the risk of fire due to careless handling of fire while smoking, you harm children who, from an early age, develop a dependence on passive tobacco smoke inhalation.
Do not ignore games in sand quarries, as well as on construction sites and in disused buildings. Every year, rescuers' reports document cases of teenagers being buried by sand in quarries. Children must clearly understand that playing in sand quarries is taboo. Construction sites and abandoned buildings also attract attention. It is in such buildings that children encounter reinforcement bars, fall down, or get stuck between block elements of structures. Explaining the danger of such games is the parents' responsibility.
It is equally important for a child to know whom to turn to for help in case of danger. As a rule, children go to reservoirs, quarries, and other places dangerous for playing in pairs or groups. When one gets into trouble, it is crucial that the others do not try to escape and abandon their friend in danger, but promptly report the incident to rescuers by calling 101 or 112 and explain exactly where to direct assistance. Attempting to free a friend from a trap independently can be life-threatening for both.
Dear parents! Holidays are a wonderful time for rest, positive emotions, and vivid impressions. However, this is also the most dangerous period for children. Therefore, do everything possible to protect your child from trouble. Try to make your leisure time as safe as possible, stay close to your children, and take care of them!