The Burn Prevention Foundation has just rolled out a fantastic new program to help teach youngsters the key principles of getting out of a house that's on fire.  This educational role playing game uses an interactive computer-based format to give children ages 6-16 scenarios that help them to develop good decision-making skills when presented with a hostile fire.  

I've spoken many times in past postings about the need to conduct home escape drills with your children, especially the little ones, and this new program fits right in with that message--and it appeals to the interactive computer gaming learning mind-set of today's youth.  Another neat feature of this program is that it allows the child to experience a variety of "fire escape situations" in buildings and locations other than their home.  Think about it: how many different places is your child every day?  They could be in a store, at the library or a friend's house when a fire breaks out and they would need to make the correct decisions to safely evacuate.

This type of practical decision-making education is critical for our children because the part of their brain that can make critical decisions does not fully develop until their early 20's according to research at the National Institutes of Health.  It's important for parents and caregivers alike to continually talk to children about fire safety topics, particularly fire escape skills, because our children do not remember such information after hearing it once or twice--heck, most adults don't either!--they need simple, consistent messages delivered repeatedly.  This program is a great tool for parents and caregivers to do that, and for their children to have some fun while learning to be "fire escape experts" as well.