Home Alone : Children staying by themselves need to prepared for emergencies. Teach them such basics as how to turn off water and gas valves, use a fire extinguisher--and where to go for help.

School starts next week for most districts in the county, and for many working parents, the onset of classes renews the continuing dilemma of what to do with older kids for those hours between the end of the school day and the parents’ arrival home from work.

If parents determine their preteen or older boy or girl is mature enough to be left home on their own, what can they do to keep the child safe?

Plenty, according to experts in the child-safety field.

Parents should walk children through the house to familiarize them with common household noises. The normal sounds of water boiling in a water heater could cause alarm to a child unfamiliar with the noise.

In addition, children should know where the shut-off valves for gas and water are. An older child should be taught how to turn off the gas and water in the event of an emergency, according to the Southern California Gas Co.

A 10- or 12-inch wrench is used to turn the lever on the long arm of a gas meter to shut off the flow of gas, according to Michelle Bagley, a spokeswoman for the gas company. The best way to describe the scent of natural gas leak to children is to tell them it smells like rotten eggs.

Most water mains can be shut by lifting a lever.

In the event of a blackout, there should be flashlights and battery-operated lanterns available. Candles should never be used by children.

While checking the safety of the home, parents need to make sure all windows have latches and locks and are in working order, said Kim Vander Dussen of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, California Branch. “You want to make sure none are painted shut. In the event of a fire, it must be easy for the child to escape through.”

Smoke detectors should be working, and a fire extinguisher is good to have, provided the child is taught how and when to use one.

The Orange County Fire Authority ([714] 744-0496) has a junior firefighter program that prepares children for a fire emergency, including the proper use of a fire extinguisher.

“Unless the child is very comfortable using an extinguisher, our advice is that they leave the house immediately in the event of a fire, shutting as many doors as possible behind them on their way out,” said Emmy Day, an education specialist with the fire authority. “Closing doors will help contain a fire.”

In teaching children to use an extinguisher, Day says, there is an easy memory association in the acronym PASS. It stands for pull the pin, aim at the bottom of the fire, squeeze the lever and then sweep from side to side. “Our advice is no child alone should attempt to put out a fire unless they are a teen-ager,” she said.

The best way for a parent to prepare a child for an emergency is for the adult to go over several scenarios with the child and determine a course of action for each. Children given a plan are less likely to panic and get hurt.

Children should know several escape routes in case of a fire or other emergency, and they should have a place to go if they have to leave the home. Talk to a neighbor, perhaps a retiree or one who doesn’t work outside the home, and clear with them that a child could come to them in an emergency.

Another important issue is gun storage. A new law deals with safe storage of a loaded firearm, said Ron Wilkerson, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman. Gun owners can be charged with a felony if a child is hurt by an improperly stored, loaded gun. “There are a variety of storage containers out there, ones with punch button codes for quick access by adults,” he said.

Use of appliances should be covered. “It’s a good idea that they know how to use all the kitchen appliances,” Vander Dussen said. “Whether they are allowed to cook for themselves or not, they should know how things work in case they decide to go ahead and try.”

If the home has an alarm system, the child should be versed in its use. If parents are considering a system, Vander Dussen suggests one with a panic button that the child can trigger in an emergency.

“Also, if [children] come home and see the door cracked open or window open, they should be taught not to go into house but to go to a safe place,” she said.

Vander Dussen said a deadbolt on the front door is safer than a standard lock, and a peephole is necessary to check who is at the door.

Parents can further protect their kids by having them participate in some of the child-safety programs provided throughout the county.

Kid Safe, a division of the National Child Safety Council, provides nonprofit organizations with educational materials on child safety.

On Oct. 14, Saddleback Memorial Medical Center will host child-safety seminars. Children who are left home alone could benefit from several of the half-hour classes, such as CPR, fire safety and personal safety. The classes are free. For information, call (714) 452-7255.