Start at home, not school
Yes, of course, children need to be taught how to face any possible situation in their life, whether it is a fire, abduction, molestation and more. However, I disagree with shifting or transferring responsibility to the school. Yes, schools should teach children safety procedures but our homes are our first school. Parents should take the initiative to teach their children this and this can be done in a fun way through fire drills, and more. For example, you can ask your children to imagine a situation where there is a fire and ask them if how quickly they can climb down seven floors. This can be followed by a reward. You can even ask if he or she knows where the ‘meeting point’ is in case of a fire, or whether we use lifts in case of one. I think it is important to teach our children these kinds of things. Schools already do their fire drills, but safety should be taught at home too.
From Ms Shamim Esmail
UAE
Learning lessons
After the horrific incident that took place in Fujairah, this shouldn’t be a questionable matter. Children should be taught at schools how to protect and save themselves, and others, in case of a fire.
From Ms Jessica J. Habib
Glasgow
Start at school
Yes, of course. Each and every person deserves to know the consequences of such things and they must be taught what should be done in that situation. When there is a fire knowing we have to escape from there needs to be taught in school.
From Ms Haifa
Dubai
Be prepared
Give special training in schools or have an extra period in the day where children are taught to face fires and be prepared in any kind of situation.
From Ms Hannan Haani
Dubai
Safety always first
Laws need to be put in place making sure that all homes have fire alarms and fire extinguishers. People need training on how to use them too. We always made sure our homes have these but even finding them in Dubai was difficult. This should be a first thought for all families!
From Mr Terri Stewart
UAE
Know what to do
We need to start educating people about fire safety and how to remove people from the building incase of one. Every person should have good knowledge about the building they live in, especially the exits doors. No one should jump through windows and get hurt. They should know to call security or the police as soon as possible. That’s what we can do in a fire.
From Mr Abdul Ghafar Khan
UAE
Move towards safe society
Fires are one of the hazards that are unpredictable and can occur anywhere, in schools, at home, in the mall, everywhere! Children are an integral and important part of the society we live in. So, in my opinion, not just adults, but children too must be taught what to do if such a thing happened, so that they can safeguard themselves and others in adverse situations. We have heard many cases of heroic children who have shown presence of mind during calamities and have saved many lives. Training children for fire safety is just one step ahead towards a safer society.
From Ms Heena Manish
Dubai
Mandatory survival training
It should be mandatory for children to be taught what to do in a fire. Not only in the case of a fire, but also to tackle endangering situations, in which a parent or a guardian is not present. A lot of deaths happen due to children being helpless in such devastating situations, which also result in death. Teaching a child the basic survival skills will not only help the child, but will also help adults in cases of emergencies.
From Mr Nishchay Oswal
Dubai
Put up signs in buildings
I don’t think pressure should be put on schools to incorporate fire safety training in the day. I think buildings should make it a point to hang instruction signs and have other precautionary measures in place so that if there is an adverse situation, people are prepared. I hope we learn from the Fujairah tragedy and learn more about fire protection.
From Ms Anmol Sahai
Dubai
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