June/Home Safety Month News Items

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Hands on Home Safety – June is Home Safety Month

June is Home Safety Month. This important national event is sponsored by the nonprofit Home Safety Council each year to help families learn and remember the ways to prevent home injuries. The (Your Fire Department) is reminding all (Your Town/City) residents to keep Hands on Home Safety this summer. Follow these Ten Tips to a Safer Home from the Home Safety Council:

1. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them monthly.

2. Develop a fire escape plan for your family that identifies two exits out of every room and designates where to meet outside. Practice makes perfect – hold a family fire drill at least twice each year.

3. Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking on the stove.

4. Keep all stairways, paths and walkways well lit.

5. Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.

6. Post emergency numbers including the National Poison Control Hotline number (1-800-222-1222) next to every phone in your home.

7. Install child locks on all cabinets used to store potentially dangerous items.

8. Keep your water heater setting at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

9. Install four-sided fencing with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be least five feet high.

10. Constantly supervise children in or near water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs and buckets.

You can learn more ways to stay safe by visiting the Home Safety Council Web site at www.homesafetycouncil.org.

Caution! Children Can Fall through Screens in Upper Windows

Each year tragedy results when children climb near open or screened windows and tumble out. The (Your Fire Department) is joining forces with the nonprofit Home Safety Council to warn residents that these falls can happen in the blink of an eye. In homes with young children, all upper windows should be protected with window guards; regular screens are not strong enough to prevent a fall. In addition, arrange furniture so that children cannot climb near windows. Most importantly, supervise young children closely to prevent falls and other home injuries. Window falls are highly preventable. To learn more ways to keep children safe this summer and year round, visit the Home Safety Council Web site: www.homesafetycouncil.org.

A Bright Idea for Preventing Falls

Isn’t it time you replaced that burned out light bulb over the front porch? Falls are the leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths in the United States and bright lights could help prevent needless pain and suffering from falls. The (Your Fire Department) and the nonprofit Home Safety Council urge (Your Town/City) residents to lighten up! Install bright lights over all porches, steps and stairs, indoors and out. Use the brightest bulb you can (follow the maximum safe wattage recommendation found inside fixtures). Make sure you have bright lights in the garage and over all walkways too. To learn more bright ideas for preventing falls and other home injuries, visit the Home Safety Council at www.homesafetycouncil.org.

Use a Safety Ladder when Climbing Outdoors

June is Home Safety Month – the perfect time to look around our homes and see where hazards lurk. According to the nonprofit Home Safety Council, falls are the leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths. The (Your Fire Department) is joining the nonprofit Home Safety Council in reminding (Your Town/City) residents to use a safety ladder when climbing outdoors. It’s too dangerous to climb on furniture or makeshift structures because these can tip or collapse under your weight. Learn more about safe ladder use indoors and out by visiting the Home Safety Council at www.homesafetycouncil.org.

Lawn and Garden Safety Tips

June is Home Safety Month. The (Your Fire Department) reminds residents there are safe practices to follow to avoid an injury when doing lawn and garden projects this summer. This advice from the nonprofit Home Safety Council can help keep families safer outdoors:

• Wear proper eye protection when using power tools; avoid loose or dangling clothing that can be caught in moving parts; use earplugs with loud equipment.
• Keep mowers and power tools “off limits” to young children.
• Store pesticides and all lawn products in original packaging on high shelves or inside locked cabinets.
• Store ladders, rakes, forks, clippers and other tools properly; return them to storage after use.
• Keep children well away when mowing and never let them ride on mowing tractors.
• Check the yard for broken limbs, stones and toys that can shoot out under the mower; wear closed-toe shoes when mowing to prevent injury.
• Refuel mowers and other gasoline-powered tools outside, when the motor is cool, and well away from lit cigarettes, sparks and flames.
• Never reach under a mower when it is turned on.
• Use gasoline as a motor fuel only; store gasoline in an approved, vented container, up high.

To learn more about preventing injuries at home, visit the Home Safety Council at www.homesafetycouncil.org.