Safety Tips


Cherryvale Fire Department News

THE CHERRYVLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
WANTS TO KEEP YOU SAFE THIS SUMMER!

We will be bringing you many tips this summer on how to stay safe.  The first is:

Keeping Children Safe In, On, and Around the Water

    From the American Red Cross

  • Maintain constant supervision. Watch children around any water environment (pool, stream, lake, tub, toilet, bucket of water), no matter what skills your child has acquired and no matter how shallow the water. For younger children, practice "Reach Supervision" by staying within an arm's length reach.

  • Don't rely on substitutes. The use of flotation devices and inflatable toys cannot replace parental supervision. Such devices could suddenly shift position, lose air, or slip out from underneath, leaving the child in a dangerous situation.
  • Enroll children in a water safety course or Learn-to-Swim classes. Your decision to provide your child with an early aquatic experience is a gift that will have infinite rewards. These courses encourage safe practices. You can also purchase a Water Safety Handbook at the Red Cross Store.
  • Parents should take a CPR course. Knowing these skills can be important around the water and you will expand your capabilities in providing care for your child. You can contact your local Red Cross to enroll in a CPR course.

Important Education from the People's Burn Foundation

Every 5 minutes in the United States a child is severely burned!

Here are some tips to keep your children safe:

The skin is the largest organ in the human body. Skin is also one of the most important organs because it protects the remainder of the bodies' organs from infection and other causes of illness and death. Any injury to the skin, even a minor burn will affect its ability to maintain body temperature and prevent bacteria from causing infection. People cannot survive without skin. Once you have burned yourself you will never ever look the same. Depending on the depth of your burn your skin will not function normally, it won't sweat; it won't have hair in it, permanently and forever.

Nationally, approximately 83,000 children under the age of 14 are treated for burn injuries each year. Scald burns are one of the highest burn injuries reported. Young children, older adults and people with disabilities are the most likely to incur such injuries. Most scald burn injuries happen in the home, primarily in the kitchen or eating areas and from hot tap water in bathtubs or showers. Scalds can be prevented through increased awareness of scald hazards and by making simple environmental or behavioral changes. To prevent scald and burn injuries follow these simple suggestions.

  • Create a "kid-safe" zone while preparing and serving hot foods and beverages.
  • Lower the water heater thermostat to deliver water at a temperature not to exceed 120 degrees.
  • Clearly mark all hot water faucets.
  • Do not leave water running in a tub unsupervised.
  • Do not allow children under the age of seven to use a microwave unsupervised.
  • Use back burners on the stove when possible and turn pot handles inward.
  • Keep crock pots and deep fryers away from the counter edges. Do not let cords hang over counter edge.
  • Install working smoke alarms and check batteries monthly.
  • Plan and practice your family's fire escape plan.