As you are enjoying time outdoors with friends and family, please follow these practical safety tips from cooking, to swimming, to boating. We want everyone to have a very SAFE Memorial Day Weekend!
BBQ Safety
- Never use a grill indoors including garages, overhangs and canopies
- Grills must be at least 30 feet from any multifamily apartment dwelling.
- When using a grill at your single-family home, homeowners should use a 10-foot perimeter from anything combustible, including your house.
- Do not allow children and pets to play near a grill.
- Only use approved ignition fluids—never use gasoline to ignite a grill.
- Keep a fire extinguisher, garden hose or bucket of sand nearby to douse a grill fire.
- Inspect your grill before you ignite to ensure everything is in working order.
- Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.
- Always watch your children; never leave them unattended.
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings.
- Have a phone close by at all times.
- If a child is missing, check the pool first.
- Keep emergency numbers and rescue equipment (lifesavers, poles, etc.) poolside.
- Never leave a child unsupervised in or around a swimming pool, even for a moment.
- Tie up long hair securely to prevent it from getting caught in the drain.
- Never rely solely on a personal floatation device to protect a child.
- Never dive in water less than nine feet deep.
- Refrain from horseplay around the pool area.
- If the pool area looks "too deep" for you, you're probably right.
- Homeowners should install four-sided isolation fencing, at least five feet high, equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates that completely surrounds the pool and prevents direct access from the house and yard.
- Homeowners should outfit the pool with an alarmed device that will notify residents when someone enters the pool area.
- Air-filled swimming aids such as "water wings" are not substitutes for U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices.
- Always wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation devices.
- Children and adults should never swim alone; always use the "buddy" system.
- Never rely on lifeguards to supervise your children.
- Never underestimate the depth of a body of water.
- Before you board any watercraft/boat, make sure, the pilot of that ship has completed a boating safety course approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
- Always wear a personal floatation device and make sure it's buckled.
- Don't let children operate personal watercraft such as jet skis.
- Never consume alcoholic beverages of any type while you are a pilot or passenger of a water vessel.
- Refrain from swimming near a marina or dock connected to electrical service lines.
- Plan for extra time to get to your destination.
- Get plenty of rest prior to driving on a long trip.
- Check weather forecast for all major cities along your route.
- Stay calm, road rage often leads to tragedy.
