Get Low and Go

A calm, playful home fire drill that teaches the handful of moves that save lives — recognising the smoke alarm, crawling low under smoke, getting out, and meeting up outside. Keep it light: the aim is confident habit, not fear.

Know the sound. Test your smoke alarm together (warn the child first) so they learn that beep-beep-beep means one thing — get outside right away.
Get low and go. Pretend there is smoke up high. Show how to crawl low beneath it — “smoke goes up, so we stay down” — and head for the door. Make it a crawling race to the exit.
Two ways out. From the child’s bedroom, find two ways out — usually the door and a window. Walk both with them.
Meet at the meeting place. Pick one spot outside — a tree, the mailbox, a lamppost — where the family always gathers. Practise going straight there. The golden rule: get out and stay out — never go back inside for a toy or a pet.
Two more moves. Teach Stop, Drop, and Roll if clothes ever catch fire (drop and roll over and over on a soft surface), and that firefighters are helpers — even in their big masks and gear — so never hide from them.

Variation: let the child lead the drill and “rescue” a favourite stuffed animal to the meeting place. Add a bonus rule: matches and lighters are grown-up tools — if you find them, don’t touch, tell a grown-up.

Requirements

Space: Your home, plus a spot just outside the front door to be the meeting place
Surface: Carpet, a rug, grass, or a mat for the crawl and for Stop-Drop-Roll
Materials: None needed; your real smoke alarm to make its sound; an optional stuffed animal to rescue
Participants: The whole family — everyone has a role in the plan
Supervision: Full and adult-led; the plan is the family's job, and young children must never be expected to escape a real fire on their own

Rationale & Objective

Get Low and Go rehearses the small set of behaviours fire-safety educators agree save children’s lives, drawn straight from the National Fire Protection Association’s Learn Not to Burn preschool program: recognise the smoke alarm and get outside, crawl low under smoke, know two ways out, gather at an outside meeting place, get out and stay out, and Stop, Drop, and Roll. Two findings make this worth practising rather than just discussing. First, under stress children act on rehearsed habit — the AAP’s instruction is blunt: practice, practice, practice — so a drill beats a lecture. Second, frightened young children are known to hide from fire (and from firefighters in their alien-looking gear) instead of escaping, which is why this activity deliberately teaches firefighters are friends, never hide and stays calm and confidence-building rather than scary. NFPA recommends practising the home escape plan at least twice a year; the meeting-place habit and the get out, stay out rule are the parts a five-year-old can genuinely own within a plan the adults lead.

Progress Indicators

Early: recognises the smoke-alarm sound means “go outside” and can say firefighters are helpers, with reminders
Developing: crawls low under pretend smoke and names two ways out of their bedroom when prompted; walks to the meeting place with a grown-up
Proficient: on hearing the alarm in a drill, heads for an exit, crawls low, goes straight to the meeting place and stays out; performs Stop, Drop, and Roll on cue
Advanced: leads the drill, does not stop to hide or grab toys, states “never go back inside” and “don’t hide from firefighters,” and knows to tell a grown-up if they find matches or lighters

Safety Notes

Never use real fire, flame, smoke, matches, or lighters in the activity — practise with pretend smoke and an imaginary crawl; the only real element should be an announced test of the smoke alarm.
Keep the whole drill calm and matter-of-fact, not frightening; the aim is a confident habit, and scared children freeze or hide.
Practise Stop, Drop, and Roll on a soft surface (carpet, rug, grass, or mat), rolling over and over while covering the face.
Reinforce that the youngest children may need a grown-up’s help to get out and must never be expected to self-rescue — the family plan is the safety net, not the child.
Keep the get-out-and-stay-out rule absolute — never go back inside for toys, pets, or anything else.

Hints

Playfulness: make it a crawling race, let the child sound the “all clear” at the meeting place, and let them rescue a stuffed animal (never a real pet or person)
Sustain interest: run a surprise daytime drill now and then, give the child the job of “fire chief,” and visit a fire station so the gear and the firefighters become friendly, not scary
Common mistake: making it frightening — keep your tone light and confident, because a scared child hides while a confident one escapes; and do not drill only once, as twice a year keeps it fresh
No equipment: none needed — your voice is the alarm, a blanket is “low smoke” to crawl under, and a chair is the bedroom “window” exit
Cross-domain: the crawl builds gross-motor coordination, planning two ways out builds spatial mapping, and the calm drill builds emotional regulation under pressure
Progression: know the alarm sound → crawl low to the door → find two ways out → reach the meeting place → get out and stay out → Stop, Drop, and Roll → matches and lighters mean tell a grown-up

Sources

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) — Learn Not to Burn, Preschool Program (Sparky the Fire Dog)
NFPA — Home Fire Escape Planning (two ways out; an outside meeting place; practise at least twice a year)
U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA) — Fire Safety for Children, 2023 (get low and go; stay outside)
American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org — Fire Safety: Protecting Your Family from a Home Fire (practice, practice, practice; firefighters are friends)
Nationwide Children’s Hospital — Fire Safety for Children (never hide from firefighters; Stop, Drop, and Roll)
American Red Cross — Home Fire Escape Plan / Fire Safety for Kids
Head Start ELOF — Goal P-PMP 6 (knowledge of personal safety practices and routines)