5 Family Safety Tips to Help Protect Your Loved Ones

Keeping your family happy, healthy and safe can be challenging. It’s natural to want to do everything possible to ensure your home and family remains as healthy and safe as possible. The reality is you cannot prevent every bad thing from happening to you or your loved ones, but when it comes to your home there are some things everyone can do to keep safe. Just like members of a sport team need to work together to win, members of a family need to work together ensure family safety. Try these 5 family safety tips to help your family be winners.

According to the American Red Cross, home fires are the single most common disaster across the nation. A home fire is reported every 45 seconds. Each year approximately 180,000 people visit U.S. hospital emergency rooms with burns. Family Safety Tip #1, protecting your family from fire takes more than a smoke alarm for early warning, it takes planning. To be effective a smoke alarm needs to be on every level of the home. And if bedroom doors are generally kept closed, then an alarm should also be installed in those bedrooms too. Another thing you can do is develop an escape plan and hold monthly practice sessions so that should a fire happen everyone instinctively knows what to do and where to go. As a family, conduct monthly tests to check that each fire alarm is in working order. Be sure to replace alarm batteries every six months.

The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Radon can be found all over the U.S. and comes from natural radioactive gas that you can't see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family's health. Family Safety Tip #2, get your home tested, it’s easy and relatively inexpensive and is the only way to know if your home is emitting dangerous radon levels. Should your home have radon, the risk of harm can be reduced with proper repairs.

Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, and colorless poison, which is why it is so very dangerous. It is estimated that each year 200 people dies from this gas and the number of deaths reported each year could be much higher. Often people suffer the effects of carbon monoxide poison without realizing it. Family Safety Tip #3, know the flu like symptoms of CO poisoning; nausea, vomiting, dizziness, irregular breathing, fatigue and weakness, sleepiness, headaches, and confusion. Should family members start experiencing symptoms, open windows and doors immediately, then go to an emergency room and report the suspected CO poisoning to the medical doctor or staff. Prevent carbon monoxide by safety-proofing your home including placing a carbon monoxide detector on each floor, out of reach of children. Never use gas range burners or an over for heating your home. Keep your garage ventilated to reduce car emissions. Do not let your car motor run while parked in the garage.

According to the FBI, nationwide in 2009, the average dollar value of property taken during burglaries was $2,096, with more home burglaries happening during the day than in the evening. Family Safety Tip #4, protecting your home and family from a burglar is a family affair. Teach children to never open the door unless they can see who is at the door and know that person. And if they don’t recognize the person at the door then they can verify with you that the person has a legitimate reason for being at your home knocking on the door. Burglary is a crime of opportunity and generally speaking a crook will try to avoid drawing attention to himself, making a home security alarm a good deterrent. In approximately a third of all break-ins, the burglar was able to get into a home through an unlocked door or window. To avoid making it easy for a thief, have family members take responsible for locking their bedroom windows and make it a routine that all doors and windows are secured before leaving the home. Use outdoor motion lights to light up dark areas around your home and yard to prevent intruders from hiding. To monitor your home while away or traveling, consider installing indoor/outdoor security cameras.

Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms for all ages. Family Safety Tip #5, use home safety devices, such as guards or sensors on window to keep children from falling or climbing out of windows. Grab bars help to reduce bathroom hazards. Install bars by the bathtub, shower and toilet. Keep stairways, and walk ways clear. For young children and infants, use gates at the top of and bottom of stairs to keep children from falling down them. Nightlights illuminate dark rooms and hallways in the night making it easier for all members of the family to see where they are walking.

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