As the school year ends and summertime reaches its peak, we want to share important tips to help make your summer safe and enjoyable:
Planning to get away this summer?
Consider signing up for the Miramar Police Department’s FREE Vacation Patrol Program. We check on your home daily to help prevent burglaries and look out for suspicious activity. To sign up visit miramarpd.org and click on Services.
Set timers on lights and stop mail or other deliveries to help deter burglars. Do not let your house appear as if no one is home.
Don’t announce travel plans or post vacation photos on social media, until you have returned home.
Secure valuables in a safe deposit box or hidden out of sight.
Check doors and windows. It may seem obvious but double-check just to be sure they are all, including garage doors, locked.
Do not leave spare keys outdoors or in vehicles.
Let a trusted neighbor know they should call police if they see something suspicious.
Summertime Fun
Make sure to wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating, skateboarding, and riding scooters. Helmets have shown to significantly reduce the risk of head injury.
Drowning is preventable.
NEVER leave a child alone near water and never leave a child with another “older” child. If your child is missing and you live near water, check the water first! Always provide adult supervision of children.
Prevent unsupervised access to pools with barriers and alarms. Many children who drown in home pools were only out of their parents’ sight for less than five minutes.
Learn how to perform CPR. Miramar Fire Rescue offers CPR classes on the last Monday of every month. For more information, visit miramarfd.org and click on the Classes tab.
Enroll your children in swim lessons. Many programs start lessons for babies as early as 6 months of age, continuing through adulthood.
Install and maintain drain covers that prevent entrapment and entanglement.
Remember things like water wings, floats, swim boards and pool noodles are toys. Although they can aid you in swimming, you should never rely on them completely.
Lakes, canals, and the ocean can also be a hazard. Remind your family members to always enjoy water sports by wearing a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device. Even the best swimmers can become tired and quickly fall victim.
Never swim alone. Swim with a relative or friend and make sure a lifeguard is within eyesight.
Kids Staying Home While You Work?
Make sure your child, regardless of age, is mature enough to know what to do in an emergency. If there is a fire, is your child capable of getting out of the house? Can they and will they call police in an emergency?
Teach children to use social media responsibly. Discuss expectations, usage, boundaries, and overall safety, to include adults impersonating children, cyberbullying, sextortion, and the dangers of sharing too much personal information.
Monitor your child’s use of social media.
Children should understand they should never let anyone know they are home alone, nor take a ride from anyone without first checking with their parents or guardians.
Make sure your children keep doors locked and do not open doors unless the visit has been pre-approved by parents or guardians.
Keep your firearms locked and secured.
Children should always be required to check in with a parent or guardian before leaving the house and when returning home. Teach your children there is safety in numbers and to avoid going alone to places.
Teach children not to be afraid to say “no” and to get away from any situation that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. Make sure your children feel they can trust their feelings and that they can tell a trusted adult of any situation that makes them feel that way.