Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is a time of celebration; but it’s also a time of potentially dangerous activities such as cooking on an outdoor grill, waterfront activity and lighting fireworks. In order to keep your home and family safe this Fourth of July, please consider some of the following safety tips.

• Keep a bucket of water nearby. Whether you are setting off fireworks or cooking on the grill, sparks can land on nearby foliage and flammable items and start a fire. By having a bucket of water nearby you can easily douse any unwanted flames and dud fireworks. For even better protection, keep hose nearby as well.
• According to the Red Cross, fireworks are behind almost 9,000 emergency room visits each year. In order to avoid being part of this statistic in 2012, wear eye protection when lighting fireworks and never tried to fix or relight a dud.
• Keep fireworks and grills away from dry grass and overhanging foliage. Trim the bushes around the area in which you plan to operator grill and create a safe, non-flammable area for firework lighting.
• For the safest grilling experience, read the instructions that came with your grill. Additionally, keep your grill away from flammable objects such as house eaves and railings. Lastly do not add starter fluid after coals are ignited.
• If you plan to celebrate all or part of your Fourth of July holiday on a boat, make sure everyone onboard wears a life jacket. The US Coast Guard noted in its report, 2011 Recreational Boating Statistics, that at least 79 percent of the drownings in 2011 were experienced by individuals not wearing a life jacket.
• If camping is part of your Fourth of July plans, keep your campfire at least 15 feet from tents, trees and shrubs  and make sure there are no low-hanging branches over the fire.
• When putting out a campfire, douse all embers with water and continue pouring until doing so no longer causes a hissing noise. Then, use a shovel to move through the ashes and ensure that everything is wet and cold.
• If a swimming pool or other body of water figures into your ideal Fourth of July, make sure that children are always supervised by a sober adult with both swimming and CPR skills.

The best way to have a fun Fourth of July is to have a safe one. For more tips on having a safe holiday or to understand how your insurance policies can be affected by your Fourth of July activities, give us a call.