The heat is on
As summer warms up, make sure you stay safe as you enjoy the great outdoors
Sarah Zeeck
Issue date: 6/17/09 Section: Opinion
With summertime upon us once again comes more outdoors, more sun , and therefore more potential for disaster with more area to roam freely within.
While enjoying your summer, keep in mind these simple cautionary practices to keep you and your family happy and healthy
Nobody puts Baby in the car.
Many children die every summer because their parents "will just be a minute" in the supermarket, leaving Jr. strapped into his/her carseat as the temperatures boil and the car becomes an improvised oven. Perhaps taking your baby in the store with you will make your trip longer and more tedious, but at least your baby will live to regale the tale rather than being turned into baby bacon. This same concept applies to pets, who, unlike humans, are burdened with a fur coat all year round. If you ever want to cuddle with Fluffy again, you'll deal with the separation anxiety of leaving her home for 10 minutes as you get your pimiento loaf or Spam at the grocery store.
Pay your homage to Smokey the Bear
Fireworks are illegal in Illinois anyway, but if you decide to partake in this delinquent activity, make sure you take precautionary measures to avoid massive fires. When it becomes arid, the corn's leaves turn brittle, as does grass. A small spark could engulf an area in flames very quickly. Playing with fire is a privilege that fire handlers should be mature enough to deal with.
Let me see your grills.
Similarly, if you decide to have a good old-fashioned cookout, don't let the fire ring get too out-of-control as you roast your weenies and marshmallows. A flicker could set your home, pet or child on fire. The property damage would be bad enough, but when a human life is at stake, the loss is much greater. Maintain your distance and watch your loved ones-it could save their lives.
In the red.
Sunburn, sunburn, sunburn. You plague us every year and we never learn. Make sure you use sunblock or keep your skin covered as you venture out under the UV laden rays. With every sunburn, you increase your chance of skin cancer later in life, not to mention the dry, itchy pain you'll deal with before your skin flakes off in dandruff-like chunks. Gross.
Give me a good hydration.
Become a heavy drinker-of water, that is. That scorching sun will dry you out so fast you'll feel like you're trekking through the Gobi desert. Your mind needs water to think. Without water, you're more prone to pass out or become dehydrated-not fun conditions to deal with.
While enjoying your summer, keep in mind these simple cautionary practices to keep you and your family happy and healthy
Nobody puts Baby in the car.
Many children die every summer because their parents "will just be a minute" in the supermarket, leaving Jr. strapped into his/her carseat as the temperatures boil and the car becomes an improvised oven. Perhaps taking your baby in the store with you will make your trip longer and more tedious, but at least your baby will live to regale the tale rather than being turned into baby bacon. This same concept applies to pets, who, unlike humans, are burdened with a fur coat all year round. If you ever want to cuddle with Fluffy again, you'll deal with the separation anxiety of leaving her home for 10 minutes as you get your pimiento loaf or Spam at the grocery store.
Pay your homage to Smokey the Bear
Fireworks are illegal in Illinois anyway, but if you decide to partake in this delinquent activity, make sure you take precautionary measures to avoid massive fires. When it becomes arid, the corn's leaves turn brittle, as does grass. A small spark could engulf an area in flames very quickly. Playing with fire is a privilege that fire handlers should be mature enough to deal with.
Let me see your grills.
Similarly, if you decide to have a good old-fashioned cookout, don't let the fire ring get too out-of-control as you roast your weenies and marshmallows. A flicker could set your home, pet or child on fire. The property damage would be bad enough, but when a human life is at stake, the loss is much greater. Maintain your distance and watch your loved ones-it could save their lives.
In the red.
Sunburn, sunburn, sunburn. You plague us every year and we never learn. Make sure you use sunblock or keep your skin covered as you venture out under the UV laden rays. With every sunburn, you increase your chance of skin cancer later in life, not to mention the dry, itchy pain you'll deal with before your skin flakes off in dandruff-like chunks. Gross.
Give me a good hydration.
Become a heavy drinker-of water, that is. That scorching sun will dry you out so fast you'll feel like you're trekking through the Gobi desert. Your mind needs water to think. Without water, you're more prone to pass out or become dehydrated-not fun conditions to deal with.
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