Millburn and Maplewood Au Pairs Get Fire Safety Training

Ask any firefighter: adults over the age of 60 and children under the age of 5 are more likely than any other age groups to be harmed in the case of a fire emergency.

Recognizing these facts, au pairs from the Culture Care Au Pair program in Maplewood and Millburn last Sunday met at the Maplewood Fire Department for a fire safety meeting.

According to Belma Bostanci, the local childcare coordinator for Culture Care, educating au pairs on fire safety is a top priority for parents. "Au pairs are often the primary caregivers for many local families during the day," she said. "Fire safety training is important because it reinforces their knowledge of what to do if there is an emergency, starting with getting themselves and the children out of the house should a fire break out."

Bostanci, a former au pair, coordinates 35 au pairs in Millburn and Maplewood. South Orange and Short Hills have their own Culture Care coordinators. Bostanci said there are two other au pair agencies active in the area, but Culture Care is the largest.

Bostanci said the training is part of Cultural Care Au Pair's ongoing Continuing Education Program. As a U.S. Department of State-regulated program, au pairs receive safety and childcare education throughout their year-long stay in the United States. It begins with a week of intensive courses at the Cultural Care Au Pair School in New York. Bostanci must then provide the au pairs with four more programs throughout the year, one of which is fire safety.

The Maplewood and Millburn au pairs together represent the countries of Brazil, Czech Republic, Mexico, Germany, Panama, Colombia, Bosnia, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Thailand. Bostanci, Millburn resident, supports area parents and au pairs, advising them of educational opportunities as well as organizing fun activities for the entire extended family to enjoy.

"I am always looking for ways to make safety training and education fun for our au pairs," said Bostanci. "The Maplewood Fire Department did an amazing job. The training covered everything from smoke detectors to safely and quickly getting out of a home in the case of a fire, with an emphasis on the cultural differences on handling an emergency here in the United States as opposed to other parts of the world."

The Maplewood Fire Department, along with Bostanci, suggests these safety tips for local families:

• Test smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries once a year
• Make sure you have a fire alarm on every floor of your home
• Plan fire escape routes for your family and identify a meeting place outside the home in case of an emergency
• Keep matches, gasoline, and all flammable materials locked away and out of a child's reach
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Introduce children to a firefighter, so they will know not to be scared in the case of a fire
• Avoid plugging several appliance chords into the same electrical socket
• Consider buying safety ladders for upper levels of your home and show older children how to use them

For more information on inviting an au pair into your home, call Belma Bostanci at 973-379-2628 or 973-580-7893, or visit her website. You can also email her.