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By Chief Sam DiGiovanna
With recent rains and hillside vegetation getting drier, this may be an active 4th of July throughout the state! Are you and your community prepared?
The 4th of July will be on a Thursday which means communities selling “safe and sane” fireworks will be selling and igniting fireworks throughout the holiday weekend. We know there is nothing safe or sane about putting a 1,200-degree sparkler in a toddler’s hand or anywhere near bone dry vegetation.
Communities banning safe and sane fireworks, will often unintentionally promote the use of more illegal deadly and dangerous fireworks which we have already been seeing as early as June.
There’s not a better time to promote safety tips and information via your departments PIO, the media, PSAs, and social media outlets. Our call load increases exponentially in most every community with both fires and medical calls. On average, more than 45,000 people visit U.S. hospital emergency rooms for treatment of injuries over the 4th of July weekend.
Over 40 million people are expected to travel over 50 miles during the 4th of July weekend in the U.S.
Additionally, every year hundreds of people are injured by gun violence in more than 500 shootings across the country during the Fourth of July weekend.
Sadly, there has been a significant increase in structure fires due to homeless seeking shelter, vegetation/brush fires from homeless encampments and mentally ill on the streets in most every community. Does your agency have the funding to staff additional resources and personnel in dealing with these growing issues?
With the statistics mentioned above, it is important to create a plan for both your organization, mutual aid agencies and community leaders.
What can your agency do? Increase staffing, work closely with your mutual aid departments, educate the public of dangers associated with 4th of July, work closely with law enforcement agencies, increase patrols, pretreat roadways with long term fire retardants where applicable, along with areas where professional shows will be occurring are a few ideas. Get together with the members of your agency and start preplanning now. Because as the saying goes “fail to plan, plan to fail.”
When it comes to fireworks, the best thing to tell your community is “leave it to the professionals.” Go to a professional show. These are tough economic times, advise your community to save their money and avoid buying fireworks. Otherwise, your money will just go up in smoke!
There are plenty of fun things to do but keeping safety in mind is a priority!
Here are some additional 4th of July Safety Tips:
Travel safety
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- Buckle up, slow down, and do not drive impaired.
- Be well rested, alert and patient; give your full attention to the road. Do not text and drive!
- Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive.
Water safety
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- Paddle board? Jet ski? Surfing? It is all harmless fun, right? Fun, certainly, but think before you play. Whatever the activity, observe these important rules:
- Wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
- Know local weather conditions. Make sure the water and weather conditions are safe. Let others know when you hit the water and when you plan to return!
- Swimming pools. Learn to swim. Do not swim alone or leave children unattended! Let someone know where and what time you are leaving and intend on returning!
Barbeque safety
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- This fun seasonal ritual has a flip side, though—namely, an onset of injuries and home fires due to careless cooking practices. Here are some tips you can follow to stay safe while enjoying those tasty treats at your cookout.
- Never grill indoors or unattended – not in your house, camper, tent, or any enclosed area.
- Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, the deck, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire. Hot grease or ashes could spill from the grill onto the wooden deck or into dry leaves or grass
Hiking safety
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- Watch out for rattlesnakes
- Let others know your destination and time of departing and returning
- Bring fluids (water) and stay hydrated
- Wear appropriate clothing
- Wear sunscreen
Here are fourteen alternative ways to entertain children safely this 4th of July: https://lnkd.in/gf4uwZy
We need to get the word out to our communities now, so they can enjoy a Happy and Safe 4th of July and decrease our incidents. The most important thing is to preach and practice common sense.
Chief Sam DiGiovanna is a 40-year fire service veteran. He started with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, served as Fire Chief at the Monrovia Fire Department, and currently serves as Chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy in Glendale. He also is a consultant for Lexipol www.Lexipol.com