And although the research showed teaching children about fire safety is a priority for 81 percent, many claim they don’t know where to find child-friendly information to help educate them.
Three in four (76 percent) hope someone else will tell them how far back to stand from bonfires, and 37 percent are leaving it up to others to teach their youngsters how to hold a sparkler.
The research was commissioned by the Fireman Sam brand, which has partnered with the Child Accident Prevention Trust, to produce a set of safety tips ahead of the night to help get people switched on to safety.
Jon Spalding, Mattel’s head of consumer products UK & hard lines, EMEA, said: “Bonfire Night can be a spectacular event for families to enjoy together, but it also provides significant safety risks.
“We know that discussing fire safety is a huge priority for parents, but many don’t know where to access trusted information – so we hope the release of our tips with CAPT will help solve this, keeping everyone safe and having fun this 5th November.”
It also emerged three in ten (29 percent) have been concerned about their child’s safety at an official event, while 35 percent have been worried due to the lack of precautions at an event hosted at someone’s house.
Accidents with sparklers, burns from fireworks and bonfires, and road incidents, were parent’s top concerns on Guy Fawkes Night – as 24 percent have experienced an accident or injury at such an event.
A third of parents (29 percent) are not confident their child would know how to avoid an accident with fire on Bonfire Night.
And almost two-thirds (61 percent) said their children would not know to “stop, drop and roll” if their clothes or costumes caught on fire.
In fact, almost a quarter (24 percent) wouldn’t feel confident themselves in how to react to such a happening.
One in six believe it to be difficult to find child-friendly safety information or educational materials, according to the research carried out via OnePoll.
However, nearly half (48 percent) believe their child would know to call emergency services were there a fire issue.
Nearly all parents (94 percent) agreed it is important that children’s characters, such as those on the TV show Fireman Sam, talk to children about Bonfire Night safety.
Katrina Phillips, CAPT’s chief executive, said: “Bonfire Night is magical, but with sparklers burning 16 times hotter than your kettle, they can badly burn a child.
“Many parents aren’t clear what to tell their children about staying safe on Bonfire Night, or what to do if the worst happens.
“That’s why we’ve partnered with Fireman Sam to create some essential family safety tips to keep little ones safe.”
The fourteenth series of Fireman Sam, which airs from Tuesday 1st November on Cartoonito, teaches children important safety messages.
