Home Fire Safety - What does it have to do with Martial Arts?

[Mike Oliver]

Self-defense is a big part of the martial arts, but it isn't just about self-defense from people that intend to hurt us. There are many other killers out there, and one of the leading causes of death and injury children in this country are accidents. Just recently, one of our families that train at the dojo had a house fire, and they told me that their son knew exactly what to do. I'm glad that what we are teaching is making a difference. I hope it saves lives.

In our Little Dragon class, we regularly talk about fire safety. American homes suffer an unwanted fire every 10 seconds, and every 60 seconds they suffer a fire serious enough to call the fire department. Most importantly, every two and a half-hours someone is killed in a home fire--that's over 3,500 people killed in 2000 alone. Another 20,000 people are injured in home fires in a typical year. If we are really teaching self-defense in our martial arts school, then this is something that we should be talking about.

We teach all of the Little Dragons about how important it is to have a safe escape route from their home should the unfortunate happen. These same drills and lessons, taught in a martial arts classroom, have already been responsible for saving the lives of two California children. We team up with all of the Little Dragon parents to ensure that their homes are fire safe and that their kids are fire smart.

The first step for parents is to check and test all of your smoke alarms in the house. When was the last time you did this? If you can't remember, then I encourage you to do it this week.

Smoke Alarm Tips

• Test all smoke alarms on the first day of every month by pressing the test button. It should beep or ring. Avoid using a candle flame or smoke to test the fire alarm. Repeated use of smoke to activate detectors can cause them to fail when a real fire occurs.
• If your detector runs on batteries, change them when you change your clocks--at the start and end of daylight-saving time.
• If your smoke detector starts chirping or beeping off and on, it's time to change the batteries.
• You may want to consider purchasing a combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector. These units cost more but are well worth it.
• If a smoke detector goes off, you literally have seconds to respond. There is absolutely no time to gather possessions, pets and possibly even each other. Your best response is to leave your home immediately, gather at your prearranged meeting place and call 911 from a neighbor's home.
• Replace all detectors after 10 years.