Water Safety
While water activities are a great way to stay cool and have a good time with friends and family during the summer, they are not without danger.
Drownings are the leading cause of injury and death for young children ages 1 to 4, and three children die every day as a result of drowning.
- DO learn to swim. If you like to have a good time involving water activities, being a strong swimmer is a MUST.
- DO take a friend along. Even though you may be a good swimmer, you never know when you may need help. Having friends around leads to a safer and more enjoyable experience.
- DO know your limits. Watch out for the “Too’s” — too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun and too much hard activity.
- DO swim in supervised (lifeguard watched) areas only, and follow all signs and warnings.
- DO take regular breaks to avoid getting exhausted from all the fun you are having.
- DO wear a life jacket when boating, jet skiing, water skiing, rafting, or fishing.
- DO stay alert to currents. They can change quickly! If you get caught in a strong current, don’t fight it. Swim parallel to the shore line until you have passed through it. Near piers, jetties (lines of big rocks), small dams, and docks, the current can be unpredictable. Learn to recognize and watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents — water that is a unusual color, choppy, foamy, or filled with debris.
- DO keep an eye on the weather. If you spot bad weather (dark clouds, lighting), pack up and take shelter indoors.
DO NOT mess around in the water. Pushing or dunking your friends can easily get out of hand and lead to injuries or death. - DO NOT dive into shallow water. If you don’t know how deep the water is, don’t dive.
- DO NOT float where you can’t swim. Keep checking to see if the water is too deep, or if you are too far away from the shore or the poolside.
Sun Exposure
Repeated sun exposure over time is the main cause of most skin cancers. People who were diagnosed with skin cancer in the past have a higher chance of developing skin cancer again.
Roughly 90 Percent of Skin Cancer Is Caused by UV (Sun) Exposure.
Keep Covered
In short doses, its great for kids and adults to play outside and be exposed to sunshine in the summer. However, if there are plans to spend any great length of time outdoors, make sure everyone is correctly protected from the sun’s harmful rays.
ALWAYS wear sunscreen. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly recommend wearing sunscreen with a broad-spectrum protection (protects against UVA and UVB rays) of SPF 15 or higher and is water resistant. Apply sunscreen daily and avoiding prolonged UV exposure to help reduce your risk of developing skin cancer.
Wear protective light-weight clothing and seek shade when exposed to the sun. Did you know the sun’s rays are strongest between 10am and 2pm? If your shadow is shorter than you, seek shade whenever and wherever you can.
For other health and safety tips, please be sure contact me at (919) 459-5275 or lgallion@ei1.com.