My first fire drill

[venus89]

And it went quite well. I, age 18 months, was quite chilled about the smoke alarm, it took us less than 30 seconds to get the phone and getout of the back door and back gate to the car park round the front.... The only trouble was that I suddenly realised I don't know how to test the smoke alarm without burning food so I ended up with a leftover bit of bagel and a lighter, stood underneath it, singing my fingers to create smoke! :rolleyes: :blush:

[Minstrel]

Great you got out in such a quick time!

I read a good tip on here a little while ago that 2 minders ( or get anyone to do it) each tested each other. They would just call up at any time any day and say " This is your fire drill". Then you get put on the spot too!! :panic:

[venus89]

We have a tiny house!!
I was going to ask my husband to do it for us if he came home in time but he didn't..... getting someone to call is a great idea, I might well do that.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Smoke detectors have a button on them to press and test

Another minder came up with the idea of a fire picture that she left in a room and then shouted fire

The older ones worked really well with it

[venus89]

Smoke detectors have a button on them to press and test


Well, you'd think so, wouldn't you, but I pressed the button that you press to turn it off and nothing - I guess there must be another button on the side or something.

Just asked my husband and he can't work it out either!

[venus89]

Just a couple more questions about fire drills.....

1/ Would you practice the fire drill with every child, if they don't attend on the same days, over the course of the week or would you practice with some one month and others the next? I'm guessing the answer is the former but as we still can't figure out how to test the smoke alarm (without cooking) then I'll only be practicing the escape, which I did yesterday.....

2/ When I write up my fire procedure, I'll be writing about how we'll get out etc. And it's occurred to me that if there's a fire on the stairs (highly unlikely, but I guess not impossible) and we're upstairs (also unlikely, to be fair, but they do sleep upstairs so again it's possible) then there is no escape route bar the window. Now, obviously if that situation arose I would chuck myself and the child out of the window if i couldn't dampen the fire down with wet towels and a water from the bathroom. Is it acceptable to put that in my plan?

Oh - a third one actually: if you had a child asleep upstairs and you were downstairs with another child/children, would you take the downstairs ones out then go back for the sleeping one if the fire was downstairs?

(Maybe I should move the trampoline under the bedroom window? Should I buy small parachutes? Is it okay to practice throwing the children out of the window as part of my fire drill? Is it time for a glass of wine yet?)

[CCJD]

lol-must admit I was feeling exactly the same as I pinned my floor plan complete with fire exits to my new noticeboard - my husband walked past and asked me what I was doing, I responded that it was in case I developed alzeimers during the day and forgot where the front door was.

[venus89]

Lol - it gets like that, doesn't it?!
Just occurred to me thatI could wrap said damp towels round the child and carry them out so I've answered number 2 myself.....

Still not sure about 1 and 3 though :(

[Andrea08]

i have just got new children starting with me and OMG they fight so thinking ill do my fire drill next week,
but need a little advice/ ok a lot of advice;

1 the children take off their shoes and one child insists on putting her shoes on b4 we run out the house!!

2 one parent said i should wait till it stops raining coz there isnt enough dry clothes etc (and we dont have time to pick up every childs shoes coats and bl**@! changing bag!)

3 it never stops raining in Blackpool

4 just relised i got one baby asleep in pram in play room, one asleep in pram at front door and one playing well in lounge , (hence me on ere again lol)
so do i sprout extra arms?

5 best if i never cook again so not to risk a fire?

good job ive stopped smoking thats another risk out the way (not that i smoke nr the kids but in d garden)

we all have fire risk training but i not had training on exactly how im going to get out the house and remember my mobine phone oh and register its a joke,

ill be practicing for months at this rate lol

any ideas or storys on how you have managed?

[venus89]

I think you ought to point out to the Mum that if your house does catch fire then it's not necessarily going to happen on a sunny day. You'd think she'd be glad you were practicing! Is it possible to move the babies side by side in their prams once asleep so in an emergancy you could grab both?
As for the shoes, I believe somebody else (Sarah, perhaps?) had the same problem, a child who insisted on putting something on their feet, and put slipper on the child while they were in the house... Child was fine leaving the house in slippers.

[Andrea08]

good ideas thanks, but not possible to put prams together not enough room but if there was a fire im sure we would all run round like mad hatters and just get out (without knickers on if we had to) lol,

i mentioned to parents about indoor slippers or shoes not just because of a fire drill but because i dont know a child yet who hasnt stepped into something nasty on the way bk from school! BUT DO THEY LISTEN!?

keep the ideas comin in and any funny stories x

[Andrea08]

OMG OMG OMG
WE ARE BURNED TO A TOAST!!!

OK Children should be awake for lunch soon so decided ill do a fire practice,,

oh it went sooo bad

1) got older child to wait at front door with sleeping baby in pram

2) went to get sleeping baby from pram in play room,,,,,,

and thats when it went all bellies up!!

couldn't get the extra harness off it was stuck (she needs 2 as she can get out of the pram!) broke 2 nails and still couldnt undoo the dam thing so there i was and we would be toast by now what a failure,

just going to practice undoing the harness all bl**@! day
poor girl at front door said "shall i do it" "or take the baby outside 4 u"
arrrrr she can have my job and ill go to school xxxx
will try again but think ill wait a week my nurves just cana take it lol xx:angry: :blush:

[venus89]

Lol - poor you!
Just write it all up, work out solutions, repeat (successfully) and OFSTED will love you to bits! (Oh, and give up cooking and using candles just in case :laughing: )

[Tatia]

I've pinched the idea from....Miffy? I think it was about having my husband text me (she may use a friend or another childminder) once a month saying "fire, back/front of house" ( I practice both exit routes). This way, I'm surprised and my response time is practiced, as well as the children. He promises to wait til it's raining heavily, he says.:rolleyes:

[Tatia]

Poor Andrea! Though I couldn't help by giggle.:o Sorry!

Venus is right. Write it all down and then say how you're gonna fix it (like learning to use harness by excessive practice:laughing: ). That's what the drills are for!

[Andrea08]

:ROFL1:

ye now ive sat down and finished my tea, i can see the funny side of today,
does any 1 else out there have bad fire drills or is it just me,
god help us if there was a fire lol

any funny fire drills put a smile back on me face please!!