The top 10 safety tips for Bonfire Night have been revealed ahead of this weekend – as over half of parents have never talked to their children about being safe around fireworks and sparklers. Nearly three-quarters of parents (70 per cent) plan to take their children to an organised Bonfire Night event over the weekend, or set off their own fireworks at home (26 per cent).
But the poll of 1,000 mums and dads, with children aged 0 to 7, found that 76 per cent are hoping someone else will discipline their child on how far back to stand from the bonfire, while 37 per cent want another person to show them how to hold a sparkler. It comes as the research revealed that 81 per cent feel teaching their children about fire safety is a priority – but many don't know where to find child-friendly information to help educate them.
The research was commissioned by the Fireman Sam brand, which has partnered with the Child Accident Prevention Trust, to produce a set of safety tips ahead of the night to help get people switched on to safety.
Jon Spalding, Mattel's head of consumer products UK & hard lines, EMEA, said: “Bonfire Night can be a spectacular event for families to enjoy together, but it also provides significant safety risks. We know that discussing fire safety is a huge priority for parents, but many don’t know where to access trusted information – so we hope the release of our tips with CAPT will help solve this, keeping everyone safe and having fun this 5th November.”
It also emerged three in ten (29 per cent) have been concerned about their child’s safety at an official event, while 35 per cent have been worried due to the lack of precautions at an event hosted at someone’s house. Accidents with sparklers, burns from fireworks and bonfires, and road incidents, were parent’s top concerns on Guy Fawkes Night – as 24 per cent have experienced an accident or injury at such an event.
Three in ten parents (29 per cent) are not confident their child would know how to avoid an accident with fire on Bonfire Night. And almost two-thirds (61 per cent) said their children would not know to “stop, drop and roll” if their clothes or costumes caught on fire.
In fact, almost a quarter (24 per cent) wouldn’t feel confident themselves in how to react to such a happening. One in six believe it to be difficult to find child-friendly safety information or educational materials, according to the research carried out via OnePoll.
However, nearly half (48 per cent) believe their child would know to call emergency services were there a fire issue. Nearly all parents (94 per cent) agreed it is important that children’s characters, such as those on the TV show Fireman Sam, talk to children about Bonfire Night safety.
Katrina Phillips, CAPT’s chief executive, said: “Bonfire Night is magical, but with sparklers burning 16 times hotter than your kettle, they can badly burn a child. Many parents aren’t clear what to tell their children about staying safe on Bonfire Night, or what to do if the worst happens. That’s why we’ve partnered with Fireman Sam to create some essential family safety tips to keep little ones safe.”
The fourteenth series of Fireman Sam, which airs from Tuesday 1st November on Cartoonito, teaches children important safety messages.
TOP 10 TIPS FOR BONFIRE NIGHT SAFETY:
- Fireworks are exciting, but they can be very dangerous. Listen to your grown-up about where is a safe place to stand.
- Keep your sparkly sparkler safely away from other people, and don’t run with them. Wear your gloves when you hold sparklers, and keep them away from your body.
- Once sparklers are finished, put them into a bucket of water, don’t pick them back up.
- Leave your dressing-up clothes at home on fireworks night, wrap up warm instead.
- Stand at a safe distance from the bonfire, and stay close to the grown-ups.
- Don't be tempted to throw things into the bonfire or poke at it with sticks.
- If you're going to a fireworks display, hold hands with your grown-up and stay with them all the time.
- Put toys and phones away when you’re out and about so you can focus on keeping safe and having fun!
- If you do catch your clothes on a flame, don't panic – STOP, DROP, and ROLL. STOP what you are doing; DROP to the ground and cover your face with your hands; and ROLL over and over to put out the flames. Practice your STOP, DROP, and ROLL before fireworks night. Get your friends to try it too!
- Access Firework and Bonfire Safety Tips via online resources, such as Fireman Sam and the Child Accident Prevention Trust.
