High school students and AmeriCorps volunteers make the presentations at elementary schools. Our mascot, Safety Sam!

Fire safety education for kids is vitally important. Many kids are fascinated with fire, and children under the age of five are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the rest of the U.S. population.*

Kid Firestopper is a fun, interactive fire safety program that teaches children how to prevent home fires. High school students and AmeriCorps volunteers worked with the Greater Chicago Red Cross and made presentations to more than 11,000 elementary students in Chicagoland last year. 

The 30 minute presentations teach children about fire prevention and preparedness, including what fires are and why they happen, what to do in case of a fire, how to develop an emergency action plan, and first aid for burns.

Even the chapter safety mascot, Safety Sam, sometimes makes an appearance to help encourage and excite kids about learning more about fire safety. 

This program is possible because of our generous sponsors. For more information about the Kid Firestopper program, call (312) 729-6176 or email ChicagoCS@usa.redcross.org.

 *Fire statistic is from the National Fire Protection Association.