Let the grilling begin!

Spring is here! Time to bring out the grill! So, when you bring your grill out this spring just remember a few helpful tips to keep your home safe!

• Only use propane and charcoal grills outdoors.
• Place the grill well away from the home, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
• Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill.
• Never leave your grill unattended.
• Keep charcoal fluid out of the reach of children and away from heat sources.
• When you are finished grilling, let the coals completely cool before disposing in a metal container.

And don’t forget… Check the gas tank hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year. The NFPA recommends that you apply a light soap and water solution to the hose. A propane leak will release bubbles. If your grill has a gas leak, by smell or the soapy bubble test, and there is no flame, turn off the gas tank and grill. If the leak stops, get the grill serviced by a professional before using it again. If the leak does not stop, call the fire department.

Fire safety tips are brought to you by Team Firestopper! We’re working to stop fires before they start in your community! For more information or fire tips, visit www.chicagoredcross.org/tfs or www.redcross.org/homefires!

Sources: NFPA.org

Become a Safer Sitter this Summer!

I have been babysitting for more than ten years. I began babysitting my three younger sisters when I was about 13 years old, and I continued to babysit throughout my college years. I can still remember the first little girls I babysat, D.D., Mary and Abby. I used to have so much fun with them playing games, watching movies, and ‘vegging’ out all night before I put them to bed. They went to my grade school, and their parents were friends with mine, so it made sense to have me babysit these girls.

I loved it. I loved every minute of babysitting with them. I got older, and soon the oldest daughter could watch the younger siblings, but I began babysitting for other children. It wasn’t until I was 16 and in health class that I took a CPR/First Aid class. I learned all the skills necessary to respond in an emergency situation … three years after I had first begun babysitting.

I think to myself now- how useful these skills would have been when I was babysitting at 13. I would have felt much more comfortable as a babysitter, and I am sure the parents would have as well. It is without a doubt that they trusted me, but I am sure as parents they would have felt a lot safer if they knew I had some kind of First Aid or CPR training.

I know I would have loved to take a babysitting class when I was younger, so that I could develop skills as a babysitter. It would have given me something to do during free time in the summer, and it would have made me feel a lot safer as a sitter.

And Parents wouldn’t you love for your children to take a babysitting (and CPR/First Aid) training course so that you can feel a sense of ease when you let them watch their siblings or sit for a friend’s child?

This summer American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is offering Babysitter BootCamps that will teach children the necessary Babysitting, CPR and First Aid skills needed to respond in an emergency situation.

Offered throughout the Chicagoland area, this is a perfect course for babysitters to receive the training necessary to become the best babysitter they can be.

Babysitters Come Out and learn how to become a Safer Sitter today!

To learn more the American Red Cross and how to become a Safer Sitter visit: www.chicagoredcross.org/babysit

American Red Cross of Greater Chicago Wishes You a Safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Fourth of July is my favorite Holiday. It is a time where I get together with friends and family to spend hours in the sun, swimming, grilling, relaxing and watching fireworks. To me nothing could be better.

A few years back I had some friends who decided to light bottle rockets off in an alley near our house. Simple and seemingly harmless. However, as the night progressed, these same friends began to entertain themselves by lighting off multiple bottle rockets at a time. I wanted no part of it, but I let them be because they seemed to be having fun.

It was no more than minutes later that a friend of mine walked into the house with his entire hand bleeding. He was not being safe, and the bottle exploded in his hand, cutting his entire hand open, and needless to say ruining his 4th of July fun. We were having a blast until this simple act of carelessness, put fear into all of us.

Now, I know you may not believe that this will happen to you, or maybe that this story was not that bad. But I am left wondering if he wasn’t hurt then, would things of escalated? Things like this happen all of the time, and it is important to remember that despite the hours of relaxation and fun you are having you must first watch out for your safety and the safety of those around you.

As you travel to lake houses, vacations, to visit friends or family or stay home, be careful not just with fireworks, but with all activities. Whether grilling, swimming, or other activities you do, practice safe actions. I am not here to lecture, nor do I want to put a damper in your mood before this great, and to me the best, holiday weekend, but I do encourage a little safety. Don’t let not being prepared ruin your weekend.

That is why I am offering these safety tips, encouraging you to have fun, but be safe. American Red Cross even has tips and kits to provide you with all your Preparedness needs.

Have a great weekend and an amazing Fourth of July!

~Megan~

Photo courtesy of Merrick Brown