Preschool fire safety lessons put to the test during Summerland evacuation

As Learning Cove Preschool prepares to welcome children back, staff say fire safety lessons taught in the classroom helped prepare students when the Bald Range Fire threatened Summerland.

The Summerland preschool has made fire safety part of its curriculum, teaching young children how fires start, what they need to burn and how to stay safe. The centre has also had firefighters visit to teach the children about fire.

For owner and operator Kerstin Scullard, teaching fire safety is especially important in the Okanagan.

“When you walk around, you realize you’re in a tinderbox. Everything is dry. You can feel the dryness of the earth when you walk your dogs. I think it’s important that we are very visual and aware of our surroundings.”

Scullard says the key is making sure children understand fire without creating fear.

For one family, those lessons became real when Summerland was evacuated.

Farzana Mayer says she was frightened during the evacuation, but her children were prepared.

“I was pretty frantic. It was very scary, but when we woke the kids up during the fire, they were calm and prepared.” Mayer says.

She added that the children remained calm as the family left Summerland.

Mayer says the experience showed her the value of talking to children about emergencies before they happen.

“Being realistic with your children from a young age prevents panic when it matters, and that’s exactly how it unfolded for our family.”

Child development expert Negar Khodarahmi says preparation can help, but an evacuation can still be traumatic for young children.

“Getting up in the middle of the night, being evacuated would definitely cause some increased anxiety, some really like a disturbed sense of safety.”

She says parents should watch for changes such as bedwetting, poor sleep, anger or aggression.