How Did You Teach Them?

[daycare]

I am a huge over planner..

Every few months, I conduct fire drills or emergency drills in my home daycare.

I talk to the children in full detail about how to get out of the house and stay out.

here is what we practice:

1.get out of the house and stay out. Never go back inside

2.stay low to the ground when exiting, stay below the smoke. Crawling or rolling is best

3. Go to your safe meeting space and stay there.

4. Call for help!

Number 4 is where I have the question



What if the phone is left inside the house, what if something happens to me and the kids have to do it on their own?

Do I teach them to yell for help?
Run to a neighbors house?

What should I do on number 4?

thanks

[lil angels]

If you have a trusted neighbor that is normally home during the day I would have one of the oldest kids go there. And talk to your neighbor about it so they know if there is an emergency can they come there.

[Ariana]

If you have a trusted neighbor that is normally home during the day I would have one of the oldest kids go there. And talk to your neighbor about it so they know if there is an emergency can they come there.

I think thats a good idea too!

[daycare]

I have one neighbor who is home, but he is 70 yrs old and wheelchair bound. He hardly ever opens the door...

BUT this was my thought. ALl of my kids are under 5yrs old. I don't know if they could explain a fire as they would be very upset.

I will add this to the list anyways and make it happen...

I would say that the rest of the neighbors near me work outside the home.

[dEHmom]

I agree with lil rugrats.

It worries me too, because when I talk to my own kids about this, I don't want them to stay put waiting for us, just in case something happens to my dh and I and we can't get to them or something, but I also don't want them just running out of the house, and we're searching for them inside.

But i've told my kids, if they have to, they can open their windows and jump out, and go wait in the parking spot, OR run to the neighbors and tell them fire.

[Ariana]

How about a cellphone that is for emergencies only that they can grab on the way out? That could be part of the fire drill and then the oldest pushes 911 in a real emergency?

When i worked at a centre there was a pouch on a hook near the door with a cellphone and epi's and anything alse emergency related that we grabbed on the way out.

[daycare]

How about a cellphone that is for emergencies only that they can grab on the way out? That could be part of the fire drill and then the oldest pushes 911 in a real emergency?

When i worked at a centre there was a pouch on a hook near the door with a cellphone and epi's and anything alse emergency related that we grabbed on the way out.

I have thought of this. I have a small wooden box on the side of my house that has tons of emergency supplies in it....only problem is that it's locked.

Thanks for this idea, I can think of how I can offer something like this to the kids that they can access..

Also whats funny is that my own husband is fire/ems and he had no answer for me...He said I worry too much...believe that??

Any more ideas?

[Unregistered]

our drills....

we have several stay-home neighbors wh
know the daycare kids well....

I sound the smoke alarm tester button so they know what the thing sounds like then we scramble to the door, grab our stuff and go outside and put it all on

The kids line up at the end of my driveway and wait for my signal to cross to the other side where there is a fire-hyrdrant (it is one front of a neighbors house who is home)
The kids know they can go to her in an emergency (or any of the neighbors on that side of the street...they know them all)

We stand at the fire hydrant and sing:
"911, 911 press the buttons 911, if you're hurt or scared and don't know what to do 911 will work for you" I have my cell phone and they pretend to dial.

We wait for the all-clear from me then the kids line up and go back to the house ...after the fireman or gas company checks things out...I tell them someone would check the house before we could go back in.

If it is freezing cold or raining, I have them get their stuff on (I pretend we were going out to play or for a walk)....give them a minute then sound the alarm to get them into action. They know to double up with a buddy to go out the door.

[laundrymom]

My policy is, we have a pnp just inside the front and back doors. One in the basement.

Ding ding ding, I grab all 3 babies, our field trip bag. usher 7 walkers outside, call for dog, close door. 3 biggest kids Sit on edge of porch at steps to corral the toddlers and babies from stairs.

I call 911, put on speaker, slide into my bra so i can talk and evac kids at same time) I open pnp. Place inside front gate at gate opening aimed and ready to use as wagon. I grab babies, put in crib. I grab next two youngest kids. Put in pnp. (5 tOtal in pnp) grab next two, And assist 3 oldest down steps. We go to pnp and wait. I send "911 not a drill--dont call me. come now emergency " text to my husband, two oldest teens, and every day are parent. I have the messages stored in two drafts in my phone. It would take me 15 seconds to pull them up and send them.

It takes me 4 minutes from sitting in playroom to having my phone ready to send that text.

If there were an emergency, every potty trained child knows where my phone is ( pocket) how to open it and press the picture of the police man I have saved in my home screen. They know if I am hurt, that is the help key. To push it and play with the babies until help comes.

[Cat Herder]

I am used to wearing my cell phone case, so it really isn't an issue. All my contacts (primary and secondary) are programed in. I can also "blast" text quickly. My house calls 911 or I can push the button.

I teach the kids to run to the playhouse outside, closest to the driveway. They run in and shut the door... I follow closely behind with the crib full of tots.

If need be, I would then toss them into the van...drive to the end of the culdesac...then wait.

All of mine are under 4, so IMHO the less I say to scare them the better off I am. They think it is a game. We are currently at 52 seconds and holding for over two years. We are required to hold, time and document all monthly fire drills. During inspections they can set off the timer and require me to prove it...Bring it on.

[daycare]

so what if something happens to you?

what is the plan for the kids?

[daycare]

....

we have gone to the extremes of actually doing one during nap time.

I had to prove to myself that I could do it.

I actually did it right after the TATA case.... I thought OMG we have only ever done them awake, never when they are asleep.

It took me almost 11 minutes to get every kid out of the house while they were sleeping.

What I did.
grabbed the keys to my surburban, it has automatic open on the trunk. I pushed the button to open the back hatch (sounds bad when you say trunk)

Once open, I dont have a fire alarm, so i set off the smoke detector. Guess what, not one kid woke up from it. I made an announcement, we all have to leave the house. it woke up a few but they just laid there.

I grabbed the biggest kid first and got him to the car say him inside the back of my suburban. told him to stay put, he was still more than half asleep. I finally got them all out after 11 minutes...

All that I know is that I have a plan. I just want it to be fool proof, even though I know I cant expect to be able to have it work 100%.

[Cat Herder]

so what if something happens to you?

what is the plan for the kids?

My house dials 911 in case of fire or break in.

My DH is here 2-3 days a week.

My own teens know how to pop their windows, how to evacuate the DCK'S and each have their own cellphones.

The nosey retirees (tongue-n-cheek, I adore them) in the neighborhood would take over from there. I can barely keep them away as it is... Granted my little group are real cuties...::::

The fire dept already has my enrollment forms and I keep a fire sticker on the playroom window that reminds them which window is the playroom. ("pre-plan") Did I mention I am a Fire Fighter...

The rest is out of my hands. "We plan, God laughs".

[daycare]

your house call 911? is this a security program?

[Cat Herder]

your house call 911? is this a security program?

Yes, Monitronics.