Campfires are a fun part of camping especially for the family when making smores or telling ghost stories. Campfires need to be maintained and looked after along with extinguished once done with. It’s important to make sure that children of all ages know campfire safety to avoid any injuries. These safety tips will be easy for kids to remember and for you to teach:
- Assume it’s hot – teach your children to assume anything and everything around a fire is hot. Even the metal on the chairs we sit on can become hot enough to cause a first-degree burn.
- Keep a safe distance – teach children to always keep a safe distance from the fire, unless they are roasting marshmallows under the direct supervision of an adult.
- No horsing around near the fire – accidents are more likely to happen when horsing around is involved. Keep it away from the fire.
- Don’t poke at or throw anything into the fire – do not allow your children to poke the fire or throw anything into the fire.
- Make sure children and pets are supervised near the fire. Never leave your campfire unattended. Teach kids the “stop, drop and roll” technique incase their clothing catches.
- Keep a fire extinguisher on hand and be ready to put the fire out completely if necessary.
Safely Extinguish your Campfire
- Allow the wood to burn completely to ash, if possible.
- Pour lots of water on the fire. Drown ALL embers, not just the red ones. Pour until hissing sound stops.
- If you do not have water, stir dirt or sand into the embers with a shovel to bury the fire.
- With your shovel, scrape any remaining sticks and logs to remove any embers. Make sure that no embers are exposed and still smoldering.
- Continue adding water, dirt or sand and stirring with a shovel until all material is cool.
- Remember: If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.
Some facts found on: https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety/how-to-maintain-and-extinguish-your-campfire
https://rhythmsofplay.com/10-tips-for-a-safe-bonfire-with-kids/
