7 Summer Safety Tips to Get Ready for the New Season
As the summer months are here, the safety of your home and family continues. With a new season comes new items in your home to check to with a new set of safety concerns. In the summer months, crimes historically have increased with burglary being 11% higher than other seasons along with theft of items left outside of the home being 8% higher (Get Safe). With more opportunities or windows left open to air out the home for easy entry, bikes and toys are also left on yards for easier access to be stolen.
What can you do to prepare your home and family for the summer months?
1. Enforce Pool Safety
The best step is installing a security camera to be able to see what’s happening and keep an eye on your children at all times. If you have to leave your backyard area to get a snack in the kitchen or bathroom, it's essential to feel safe knowing you have a security camera to capture any footage of what is happening when you’re briefly away. The Toucan Wireless Outdoor Camera is wire-free to place anywhere in your backyard that needs coverage to have the freedom to place anywhere near your pool.
Additionally, getting a cover on your pool as well to ensure that when you are away from your pool and inside, your children won’t fall or slip into the water without a form of protective measures. There many different kinds of covers to help accommodate different budgets and different needs but having a pool cover will help give you peace of mind. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and with a security camera and pool cover, this can help be avoided.
2. Prep your grill area for safety precautions.
As you are prepping the grill for the summer barbeques with your family, making sure your grill is prepped and cleaned is crucial to According to the U.S. Fire Administration, about 5,700 grill fires take place on residential property every year, most caused by malfunctioning gas grills.
Important things to consider:
- Check grill hoses for any holes or breaks
- Check for blockages
- Check for leaks
To continue to practice grill safety measures, placing a security camera near your grill is important to get notifications when motion is detected near your grill. Whether you have children in the backyard near your grill or to keep watch over your grill station in case of a fire. A Toucan Wireless Outdoor Camera provides notifications to your phone and recorded videos for these emergencies and extra safety precautions.
3. Keep watch over your summer plants
While the sun is up and you’re keeping up with your plants, watching your backyard for critters is essential to be able to keep your plants safe this summer. Plant and backyard safety includes a variety of items including keeping lawn care chemicals locked up, safely storing your garden tools, and using chemicals to help deter animals away from your plants but ensuring they are safe for your soil. A security camera can also help track any activity over by your plants to see if any animals are appearing in the nighttime.
4. Analyze your deck
Make sure your deck is waterproof to ensure protection against slips. To check your deck, look to inspect all fasteners, inspecting the wood, and ensure it’s still strong, check the stairs and railings to look for trip hazards, and ensuring stability.
5. Check leaks around your home
If you’re using sprinklers and more water during the summer months, it’s important to check to make sure there are no leaks around your home. Make sure no water is being used inside or outside of your house during the time of the check, locate your water meter to see the leak indicator and if the dial is moving, you have a leak.
6. Check detectors
As a routine check for the new season, check your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors will help get you in the habit of making sure they are working properly each season.
7. Keep in contact with your family
If you’re leaving your home to visit family or go on any vacation, it’s important to understand the safety tips while you’re away. When traveling, avoid posting where you are going on social media when you’re gone so that people don’t know your home is unoccupied.
While you’re away, whether you’re homesick or just want the extra peace of mind to see your home, a video doorbell that connects to your phone is the perfect way to stay in touch. Be able to look on the live feed anytime on your Toucan Smart Home app on Toucan Wireless Video Doorbell to be able to say hi to your family when you see them come home to always stay connected.