Leave the number where you can be contacted in case of an emergency. Be certain your sitter knows how to contact the fire/rescue service. Do you have a 9-1-1 sticker on your phone?
Write down the address of your house and the names of the nearest cross streets so the baby-sitter can identify the house location by phone if needed.
Leave the name and number of a neighbor or a relative baby-sitters can contact in case they can't reach you.
Be sure the baby-sitter can recognize the smoke alarm sound.
Give the baby-sitter a basic outline of the floor plan of your home, with two exits marked as escapes from each room. Be sure your children know these escapes from every room. Tell the baby-sitter what your children have been instructed to do in case of fire.
Ask the baby-sitter to keep phone calls short so incoming calls aren't blocked.
This article was originally published in the "Siren Silencer", Fall 1996 (Vol. 9, No. 3) edition. The "Siren Silencer" is an official publication of the Ladies Auxiliary Maryland State Firemen's Association's Fire Prevention Committee, Peggy Webb, editor.