Lynnfield Organizations Offer Summer Safety Tips

Summertime is all about creating memories with friends and family both at home and while away on vacation. Three Lynnfield organizations offer some tips to have a happy and safe summer.

For outside celebrations, it’s important to remember safety doesn’t stop at the door. There are many fire risks outside the home, including your backyard. Between 2016 and 2020 Massachusetts fire departments responded to 427 grill fires. Here are some tips from the Lynnfield Fire Department about outside fire safety:

• Always grill outdoors with grills at least 10 feet away from the side of a building, only on open first floor porches or patios with a stairway to the ground.
• Place propane, charcoal, and wood pellet barbecue grills well away from house and deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
• Leaks or breaks are primarily a problem with gas grills. Check the gas tank hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year, and of course, never leave it unattended.
• For campfires, fire pits, and chimineas, always have a hose, bucket of water, or shovel and dirt or sand nearby, and make sure the fire is completely out before going to sleep or leaving the area.

Traveling this summer? Road safety is especially important during this season. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,042 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver in 2019. Here are some tips from the Lynnfield Police Department:

• Talk to your young driver about the rules and responsibilities involved in driving. Share statistics related to distracted driving, such as, “Did you know sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds? At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed!” Distracted driving includes talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, adjusting the radio, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.
• Speeding is a critical safety issue. In 2019, it was a factor in 27% of the fatal crashes that involved passenger vehicle teen drivers. When driving with your family model safe speeds and discuss the importance of adhering to the speed limit.
• Keep cyclists safe by knowing where bike lanes are and looking before opening your car doors.
• Remember to buckle up. Not only is seat belt use the law, it's also one of the easiest and most effective actions in reducing the chances of death and injury in a crash.

Summer is also a time of less structure and more freedom for youth. To help kids stay safe, encourage them to stay active during the summer by working, volunteering, or attending supervised activities in the community. To help them develop positive relationships, A Healthy Lynnfield offers this from the Search Institute toward being a trusted adult mentor:

• Express Care: Show kids that they matter by listening to their opinions.

• Challenge Growth: Help kids reach for their next challenge, hold high expectation for them, and encourage accountability for their actions.
• Provide Support: Help them achieve concrete tasks and goals, instill confidence, allow them to take charge of their own actions.
• Share Power: Show respect and give kids a say in family decisions. Let them lead a summer family activity.
• Expand Possibilities: Connect kids with people and places to help broaden their world.

Working together everyone can have a safe and healthy summer.