End of Summer, Start of School Safety

With the end of summer and the start of a new school year just around the corner – there are some late summer safety tips for people to think about. 

The days are beginning to become numbered for the perfect grilling day, but Fire Chief Peter O’Leary reminds grillmasters – or apprentices – to take precautions before lighting it up. He says “using your grills on non-combustive surfaces, so if anything drops down it doesn’t catch fire. Have a fire extinguisher nearby. Propane can be very, very deadly – it’s not something you fool around with. Making sure young kids know they don’t want to be around that grill, keep a three-foot barrier just like you would in the kitchen.”

O’Leary also reminds people about the dangers of water, as “there continue to be tragedies on waterways. And not just boating, in swimming pools – never swim alone, never be by yourself, have somebody with you. If you’re on a boat, I don’t care how good of a swimmer you are, put on a life jacket. They make these life jackets now that are just like putting on a shirt. I mean they don’t activate until you hit the water. So if you don’t fall in, it’s not a big deal.”

And when it comes to the start of school, O’Leary adds that with new drivers on the roads, there are other hazards people need to think about. He points out “they finally got to the status in high school where they’re able to drive, so that’s a different thing so they’ve got a lot of things on their mind. And tell our young drivers for sure not to text and drive. Do not pick up that phone, do not do it. And adults, when you get around schools make sure you’re off your phone. You’ve got to keep your eyes and ears peeled because I tell you, these kids are unpredictable.”

O’Leary says students can be running out from anywhere – especially in school zones – and that they aren’t always paying complete attention to the traffic around them.