Background Smoke alarms have been demonstrated to reduce the risk of death in fire. It is recommend that families develop and practice fire escape plans. This study aims to utilise a smartphone app, Safety In Seconds, to deliver a theory-based tailored education to improve fire safety practices of parents in Little Rock, Arkansas and Baltimore, Maryland

Methods Parents of children aged 4–7 visiting the paediatric emergency room in the two participating sites (regardless of the reason for the visit) were recruited. With assistance from a research assistant study participants downloaded the Safety In Seconds app onto their smartphone and were randomised to the intervention (fire safety) or control (car seat) group. Both groups completed a 10 min assessment about their safety knowledge and behaviours and received tailored feedback relevant to their study group. The app contained a portal with educational links and sent monthly push notification reminders for parents to interact with the app. Parents completed follow-up assessments at 3 months and 6 months.

Results A total of n=1129 parents were enrolled, and 742 (66%) completed the 6 month follow-up survey. At follow-up relative to the CG, parents in the IG were more likely to report having long-life lithium battery smoke alarms (22% vs 16%; p=0.03) and having practiced a fire escape plan (65% vs. 71%; p=0.08).

Conclusions Smartphone applications may be a promising tool to improve home safety behaviours.