American Red Cross, Safety4Kids Team Up for Fire Safety DVD

WASHINGTON, January 18: The American Red Cross and
Safety4Kids have partnered to release a children’s safety and entertainment
DVD, titled SeeMore’s Playhouse: Fire Safety.

The partnership marks the first time that the Red Cross has
utilized children’s programming to teach kids how to prepare for and prevent
fires in an educational and entertaining way.

Through episodes such as “I’m Bigger Than You,” children
will learn how families can help to prevent fires and the importance of having
a family-escape plan in case a fire happens. The programming makes use of
puppets, jokes and songs in order to educate. The DVD will also feature a bonus
episode, “Sweet and Sour,” in which kids learn proper dental health.

The Red Cross and Safety4Kids chose fire safety as their
first DVD project in response to new statistics on the dangers of fire.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Protection
Association, roughly 300 people die each year in fires attributed to children
playing with fire; with two out of three fires of these types caused by
children playing with matches or lighters. Additionally, children under the age
of five are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the rest of the U.S.
population.

SeeMore’s Playhouse
is a public television series for preschoolers, which teaches safety through
puppetry, animation, live-action and original music. It airs on PBS affiliates
nationwide and in Spanish on Fox’s National Geographic Latin America.

“SeeMore’s Playhouse
is a wonderful platform to talk to children about safety and preparedness,”
said Darlene Sparks Washington, American Red Cross’ director of preparedness.
“By keeping it entertaining and fun, we help children learn about lifesaving
information in an environment that appeals to them specifically. We are so grateful
to Safety4Kids for providing us with this amazing public-education opportunity
and for supporting the work of the Red Cross.”

“To be effective, we must teach children in a way that is
entertaining and easy to understand, which will inspire them to make safer
choices in their day to day lives,” noted Tom Blair, the president of
Safety4Kids. “Together with the Red Cross we can make certain that parents
everywhere are provided with the information they need to talk to their
children about life-saving prevention.”

—By Ned Berke