Despite its importance, the topic of fire safety compliance can be a bit dry. With that in mind, Rohen has compiled a collection of 10 funny videos about fire safety, just for fun.
Top 10 Funny Fire Safety Videos
1) First up is this four minute short from Jimmy Fallon called "Video Vision: Fire Safety." He even gives a shout-out to Canadians: "Fire was invented by the ancient cave peoples of Canada," (with image of Italy). Hey, it counts! That was enough to earn Jimmy the #1 spot on our list.
2) Next is this two minute gem from CollegeHumor.com called "Hardly Working: Fire Warden." It's fire safety meets opposite day. Don't follow any of this guy's advice.
3) We've shared this one before. It's a clip of Dwight Schrute's "Fire Drill Lesson" on The Office and is arguably the best comedic fire safety-themed clip of all time (sorry Jimmy!).
4) Our number four is Safetycare's "Funny Office Safety Training Retro Video." Fire safety is but one of the things covered in this 1950's workplace flashback. They call it hilarious...not sure I'd go that far but it is entertaining and worth a watch, if you don't mind investing eight minutes. The fire scene starts around 4:49.
5) This is an educational fire safety video made by Allstate Insurance that is sort of humorous because it was made in 1996, making it dated — and corny. Gilbert Gottfried is the smoke detector, Seymore Smoke. Jason Alexander has also played Seymore Smoke (see this clip). Sadly, there is also a rap version in the style of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Parents Just Don't Understand," (watch that here).
6) Number six is "Eat, Fry, Love," a turkey fryer fire cautionary tale from William Shatner & State Farm Insurance. There is also a remix version available here which almost earned its own spot on this list.
7) Number seven is the entire National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Dan Doofus video series.
Made to look like vintage cartoons, the Dan Doofus series is an entertaining (if not outright "funny") take on fire safety education. What these short clips lack in bona fide comedy credentials they more than make up for in fire safety credentials. Very watchable. The brevity of each clip helps reinforce the message and minimize "zoning out." This is a collection of 13 short Dan Doofus videos.
8) No collection of top fire safety videos would be complete without a nod to Jim Carrey's famous Fire Marshall Bill. While his macabre and sadomasochistic style often evokes more grimaces than smiles, Fire Marshall Bill remains one of the most well known comedic characters in fire safety.
If there is any potential danger nearby (no matter how far-fetched), Fire Marshall Bill will find and exploit it in an effort to raise awareness about fire safety vulnerabilities. Collateral damage be damned. He will burn it all down to prove his point.
9) For our number nine slot, this short video of dimwitted outdoor fire safety tips from Sweet Tea Films is good for a laugh. It also makes an important point about fire safety signs. If they are not universally understood, they aren't promoting fire safety. While icons may seem to be universal, some may inspire confusion. Fire safety should plan ahead for people who won't "get it."
10) Topping off the list at #10 is The Onion's news clip, "U.S. Forest Service Kills Off Smokey Bear to Get People Serious About Fire Safety." It pokes fun at how fire safety campaigns are often ignored and shows a desperate, last-ditch effort campaign to drive the message home.
YouTube viewers unfamiliar with the Onion's satirical, tongue-in-cheek humour mistook this video as real news. Which is ironic in that perhaps more people cared about the fake death of Smokey the Bear than they do about actual fire safety announcements that feature him.
That's our list of ten funny videos about fire safety.
I should add that it was surprisingly difficult to find ten usable videos for this list. The bulk of fire safety videos on YouTube are neither funny nor entertaining. Which presents a great opportunity for companies to create more videos with real safety value that are also entertaining. State Farm Insurance's "Eat, Fry, Love" provides a good example of how to create a humorous fire safety video with a message that sticks, as does the NFPA's Dan Doofus series.
Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments.
For serious fire safety matters, all jokes aside, download our smoke alarm maintenance template.
One quarter of fire-related deaths occur in homes where smoke alarms were present but failed to operate, most commonly because batteries were missing, removed or dead (NFPA). When did you last check yours?
If you have a fire alarm, you can read about fire alarm maintenance here.
