‘MADRASA’ CHILDREN LEARN FIRE SAFETY THROUGH FUN WAYS
Safe Kids Foundation, under its Honeywell supported ‘Safe Kids at Home’ program, organized two daystraining sessions from 11-12 May, 2017 on ‘Preventing Fire and Burn Injuries’ for students of Ummat English Medium School in Kondhwa.
Safe Kids at home is a home safety program that aims to prevent and reduce burns and scalds among children under 14 years old, in Pune. This program is backed by an extensive IMRB research on theoccurrence and severity of injuries children in this age group suffer at home.
The program deploys cutting edge, experiential, and fun educational tools targeted at different age groups, to reach 425,000 children and 250,000 parents by 2018. Since its inception, the program has reached out to 190,000 children from 656 schools and 135,000 parents from 216 communities. The program does not stop at safety training for children alone, but children become a pivot for bringing citizens and civic agencies together to drive astrong safety culture in the city in line with the Indian government’s 100 Smart Cities vision.
This year the program received nationwide recognition with Chief Fire Adviser to the Government of India, recommending the Safe Kids at Home curriculum for use by fire departments across 36 states and union territories in the country on the National Fire and Evacuation Drills in Schools Day.
The purpose of ‘Preventing Fire and Burn Injuries’ sessions was to teach students about the common causes of fire and burns, ways to prevent fire and burn related injuries, what is the appropriate first aid for minor burns and what steps should be taken in case of fire. Around 350 students from grade 5-10 along with their teachers participated in session activities with complete enthusiasm and interest where they were taught to prepare fire escape plans, practice ‘Stop, drop, roll’ in case the clothes catch fire and sing action songs on fire safety. Mr. Sunil Gilbile, Divisional Fire Officer, Fire Department, PMC concluded the training sessions with his speech where he encouraged the students to be their own fire safety heroes by adopting a safe behavior at school and home.Also present on the occasion were Social Worker Saleem Mulla, prominent religious scholar Mufti Shakir and staffers of Madrasa.
Safe Kids Foundation became a member of Safe Kids Worldwide in 2006 and works in close collaboration with Safe Kids Worldwide to improve the lives of children in India. Safe Kids Foundation works with nonprofit organizations, government and schools to promote awareness and teach that accidental deaths and injuries are preventable. Safe Kids Foundation has done extensive and commendable work in the field of road safety. Safe Kids’ ‘Walk This Way’ pedestrian safety program, sponsored by FedEx, was launched in Mumbai in 2007 to address pedestrian-related injuries to children. The program has expanded to two additional cities, Delhi in 2009 and Ahmedabad in 2010. From 2007 through 2016, more than 3000 schools and nearly 4.5 million children have been reached through education activities, playing a critical role in improving road safety for children in these cities. ’Safe Kids at Home’ program, sponsored by Honeywell was launched in Pune, in November 2015, to ensure the safety of children, particularly in Pune, from the dangers of burns and scalds. The program aims to cover 425,000 children and 250,000 parents by 2018.
