Fire Safety Month is October but fire drills are important all year long. The biggest problems in fire drills occur when children are not prepared and don’t know what to expect. This song (and the printable pictures that go with it) can help remind your children of fire drill procedures. (And it can be fun to make a fire alarm sound, too.)
Fire Drill Preparation
Kids need to know what to expect and what will happen in a fire drill/evacuation. Each month or so discuss the need for fire drills (to stay safe in an emergency) and the procedure for fire drills. Talk about the loud sound that the fire alarm makes. Practice making the sound together. (If possible, listen to the actual sound during a fire drill.) In my first center, we used the actual fire alarm for our drills. (We called the fire department first so they knew we were having a drill.) The children knew exactly what the alarm sounded like and how loud it really was. They learned to walk past that loud sound to leave the building – even if they didn’t like it. They learned that the sound was to keep them safe.
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Review and practice the steps that happen when the fire alarm sounds. Use the pictures in the Fire Drill Song Printable or in the Fire Drill Visual Routine. Walk through the steps with your class. Practicing the procedures before the alarm sounds helps children concentrate on what to do without all the commotion and sound in regular fire drills. Role play both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors during fire drills.
The Fire Drill Song
Music is a great tool for memory. Use this fire drill song to review the steps for fire drills. Sing and pantomime together. Sing and walk through a mock drill together. The music and the practice will help create solid understanding for what to do.
The Fire Drill Song (tune: “Farmer in the Dell”)
The fire alarm sounds, The fire alarm sounds,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, The fire alarm sounds.
We line up at the door, We line up at the door,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We line up at the door.
We all walk down the hall, We all walk down the hall,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We all walk down the hall.
We walk without a sound, We walk without a sound,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We walk without a sound.
We find our place outside, We find our place outside,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We find our place outside.
(by R. Scott Wiley)
Change the sounds in the song to match what your fire alarm. The pictures in the printable can help cue the children for each part of the song.
Click on the image below to download the song and printable. Then enjoy practicing with your kids!
Check out these tips about fire drills from Vanessa.
