Parents and carers
We understand that this time at home may prove challenging at times.
To help you educate, entertain and inspire your children, we will be adding a variety of activities to our education pages. Each week, we will be adding new activities, often based around a story which the children can listen to. Activities will include worksheets and suggestions to support with Maths, English, and Art and Design (including our new “Make and Glue” videos presented by Firefighter Paul – he even does magic tricks!). Check back regularly for new activities.
We would love to see photos of the activities and colouring your children produce.
Please email [email protected] with any photos of your children’s work (or tag us on Facebook/Instagram @dwfirerescue)
Please note: We are happy to include images of the children and will only use first names only ( By sending the image in this is an agreement of parental permission to use the images.
If you send us photographs or videos it is on the understanding that this is giving permission to use on the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service Website and Social Media sites.
We have lots of friends in the fire service; as well as the Covid 19 Superheroes, Blaze Bear, the Dragon, and Sam the Sand lizard and his friends, we have also found a new friend Sooty:
We have created the C19 Mini Superheros to help your children understand and follow the new “rules” on keeping safe. Can they be a C19 MiniSuperhero?
Keeping Grandparents safe
Your children may be missing their Grandparents, especially if they are used to visiting and seeing them often. It is important that older people keep themselves safe in their homes during this time, but they also need to take care in the home. Your children can help check their Grandparents are looking after themselves by using our Grandparent checklist – download it here.
FireFit
We’re also aiming to help you support your children in taking care of themselves during this time. As part of our community safety plan, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) is passionate about children and young people “making safer and healthier choices”.
Our firefighters need to be fit and healthy to do their job. Using them as inspirational role models, we hope to encourage children to lead an active and healthy lifestyle focusing on; fitness, healthy eating, wellbeing and positive values.
Each week the children can watch the “Firefighter’s Challenge”, presented by a firefighter who will teach them an all-important safety message, set them a fitness challenge for the week ahead and suggest a healthy snack for when they are feeling peckish!
By educating today’s children about the importance’s of “making safer and healthier choices”, we are ensuring our future communities are fit, happy and healthy.
Safe Homes
We all need to follow the Government advice to Stay At Home to protect the NHS. BUT, spending more time at home also increases the risk of accidents in the home.
Escape plans
- Make sure you talk to your children about what you would like them to do if the smoke alarm sounds.
- Make sure they are familiar with the sound of the smoke alarm so that it doesn’t scare them.
- Practice your escape plan with them – they could practice with their teddies.
- Encourage your children to help keep the escape routes, especially the stairs, clear of trip hazards.
- Keep keys next to the doors and windows (if locked) and have a meeting point outside of the house.
- Firefighters are responding as normal to emergencies so if there is a fire: Get out, stay out and call 999.
Electrical Safety
With everyone at home, you may have more electrical devices to charge. Please make sure you do not overload sockets.
Please make sure that electrical devices such as mobile phones and tablets are charged safely. Make sure you use good quality chargers and avoid charging overnight. Make sure children (or adults) do not leave mobiles or tablets in bed with them.
Kitchen Safety
With a houseful at all times, special care needs to be taken in the kitchen. Make sure the area around, and the cooker itself, is kept clean and clear. Remind your children they need to be careful around the cooker when it is on. If you are distracted whilst cooking, turn the heat off until you return.
Bedtime safety
To keep you and your family safe during the night, we recommend that the last person to bed does a “bedtime check”.
- Make sure the cooker is turned off.
- Make sure any electrical items which do not need to be on are turned off.
- Make sure all candles and fires are out
- Make sure keys are near the door
- Make sure internal doors are shut where possible
Matches and lighters
It is very important to keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
Children can become very interested in fire and matches. Please explain to them that it can hurt them and they must not touch them. Teach them this rhyme “matches, lighters never touch; they can hurt you very much”
If you are worried about your child showing an interest in fire please look at our Firesetters page.