Summer safety tips for celebrating Fourth of July
The Fourth of July is just five days away, and the whole weekend stretches before you.
How will you spend it? Firing up the grill? Cruising in the boat? Setting off a few fireworks?
Ah, yes, all are time-honored ways to celebrate Independence Day — at least in modern times. A pontoon on Chickamauga Lake doesn’t exactly evoke the image of George Washington crossing the Delaware on a Durham boat. Fortunately for us, different times call for different measures.
But wouldn’t you know there are safety experts sounding words of caution: That grill can burn down your house. You can drown in the river. You can lose an eye shooting your own fireworks.
Yes, they sound like party poopers — most safety experts do — but they can back up their stern warnings with grim statistics.
So maybe you would be wise to pay heed to what they’re saying.
We’ve rounded up a few words of wisdom from a handful of experts. Here’s how they approach the Fourth of
July sensibly.
FOOD SAFETY
Cookouts and picnics are fun, but not if you’re kneeling to the porcelain god days later. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 48 million people each year get sick from a food-borne illness. Not exactly how you want to spend the 5th, 6th, 10th of July.
Symptoms of food-borne illness occur when contaminated food is eaten, explain the experts at Tricare, a medical division of the U.S. Department of Defense. Adverse reactions differ depending on the illness strains, but most include stomach cramping, vomiting and diarrhea. Pregnant women, young children, older adults and individuals with weakened immune systems are at an increased risk for food poisoning.
Most food poisoning symptoms are minor and will get better without treatment. If symptoms continue or worsen, you should see a doctor or seek urgent care.
According to the CDC, following four simple steps at home — clean, separate, cook and chill — can help prevent food poisoning.
Clean. Wash your hands and clean kitchen surfaces often when cooking. Use soap and warm water when washing hands, and make sure to wash continuously for at least 20
seconds. Wash your cookware and utensils thoroughly. Separate. Keep foods apart and don’t cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from all other foods in the refrigerator and when grocery shopping. Use separate cutting boards and plates for these foods before they’re cooked.
Cook thoroughly. Consider your food safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs. You can check the temperature of your food by using a food thermometer. For ground meat and meat mixtures, that’s 160 degrees.
Chill. Refrigerate perishable food within two hours or within one hour if the outdoor temperature is above 90 degrees. Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Don’t leave food at room temperature where bacteria can easily grow.
GRILLING
All types of grills pose a risk for fires and burn injuries. According to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, July is the peak month for grilling fires, followed by May, June and August.
Roughly 9,600 home grill fires are reported per year. The leading
causes were a failure to clean, using the grill too close to something that could burn or having things that could catch fire too close to the grill, and unattended grill use. Leaks were the leading cause of gas grill fires.
Getting a good sear on that hamburger patty doesn’t mean you have to singe your eyebrows when you open the grill. Here are some tips to keep in mind.
› Location, location, location. If you don’t want a fire outside the grill, place it well away from anything that can combust — your house, the eaves, the deck railings, any overhanging branches. Also keep it a safe distance from lawn games, play areas and foot traffic. It’s a good idea to establish a 3-foot “kid-free zone” around the grill.
› Clean it up. Keep your grill clean by removing grease and fat buildup from the grates and trays below. These greasy bits are highly flammable.
› Please stand by. Never leave your grill unattended.
FIREWORKS
Fire and safety experts have two words for anyone planning to buy consumer fireworks: Just don’t.
The NFPA recommends that revelers refrain from do-it-yourself fireworks and attend public fireworks displays put on by trained professionals. Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens agrees.
“The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public fireworks display,” he says. “Each year in the U.S., around 11,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries.”
Fireworks cause devastating burns, injuries, fires and even death, making them too dangerous to be used safely by consumers, says the NFPA. On Independence Day in a typical year, fireworks account for nearly half of all reported U.S. fires, more than any other cause of fire.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says there are about 200 fireworks injuries a day during the month surrounding the Fourth of July holiday. According to its 2017 Fireworks Annual Report, fireworks were involved in an estimated 11,100 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments during calendar year 2016. There were an estimated 900 emergency department-treated injuries associated with sparklers and 400 with bottle rockets.
Sparklers were the most common type of fireworks causing injury to preschoolers, and 400 of the 900 sparkler injuries were related to children under 5 years old. Young adults 20 to 24 years of age had the highest estimated rate of fireworks-related injuries treated in an emergency department in 2016.
Commissioner Hudgens offers the following fireworks safety suggestions:
› Purchase fireworks from a licensed fireworks dealer.
› Observe all state laws regarding the use of fireworks.
› Read the labels carefully before igniting any fireworks.
› Ensure that an adult supervises all firework activities.
› Never allow children to ignite fireworks.
› Wear safety glasses when shooting fireworks.
› Light only one firework at a time.
› Only use fireworks outdoors in a clear area, away from buildings and vehicles.
› Never try to relight a firework.
› Have a garden hose or bucket of water nearby.
› Use caution around pets. Excitement, noise and lights can cause fear
and stress in animals.
BOATING SAFETY
The Fourth of July holiday season is the highest boating traffic time of the summer, whether for fishing, boating or just being on the water.
Three key things that boaters can do to prevent a boating accident is to always wear a life jacket, use an engine cutoff device and never boat under the influence, says Yvonne Pentz, communications director of the National Safe Boating Council and lead organization for the Safe Boating Campaign.
The Safe Boating Campaign offers these safety reminders:
› Always wear a life jacket. Drowning is the reported cause of death in 76 percent of all boating fatalities — and 84.5 percent of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents were not wearing a life jacket in 2017. Boaters should wear a properly fitted life jacket in good condition at all times while boating.
› Use an engine cutoff device. An engine cutoff device is a proven safety device to stop the boat’s engine should the operator unexpectedly fall overboard. In 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard reported 172 accidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller. These accidents resulted in 31 deaths and 162 injuries, all of which could be prevented if the boat operator was wearing an engine cutoff device.
› Never boat under the influence. Boating under the influence, or BUI, is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths. The side effects of alcohol or drug use, such as impaired judgment, reduced balance and poor coordination, are magnified while boating. The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, a partner of the Safe Boating Campaign, is coordinating the 10th annual Operation Dry Water from June 30 to July 2 in every U.S. state and territory to raise awareness about BUI dangers.
There are also caveats from the National Fire Protection Association about electric shock drowning, which happens when marina or onboard electrical systems leak electric current into the water. The current then passes through the body and causes paralysis. When this happens, a person can no longer swim and ultimately drowns.
Swimmers should obey all “no swimming” signs on docks and never enter the water near a marina, dock or boatyard or near a boat while it’s running.
Boat owners should avoid entering the water when launching or loading a boat. Docks or boats can leak electricity into the water causing water electrification.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6281.