Origanalist
06-21-2014, 06:53 PM
But you can use them anywhere America!
2681
Owen Pegler, 6, catches a wave on his boogie board at Spring Lake's North End Pavilion in July 2010. Parents should watch children at all times when they're in the water. (Andrew Mills/ The Star-Ledger)
http://imgick.nj.com/home/njo-media/width40/img/avatars/11790536.pngBy Jessica Iannetta/The Star-Ledger
on June 17, 2014 at 7:04 AM, updated June 17, 2014 at 7:05 AM
Things are definitely heating up. Summer officially arrives Saturday morning -- the weather sure feels like it -- and it's finally time to break out the grill, jump in the pool, head for a hike in the hillls, hit the beach and otherwise embrace these long, hot days.
But the season of fun in the great outdoors has its dangerous side, too -- especially in New Jersey, where everything from deer ticks to rip currents lurk just out of sight, ready to put a serious damper on your summer celebrations. To keep yourself and your kids happy and healthy, here are the state's health and safety experts' best tips for staying safe until it's time to head back indoors in the fall:
Soak in the sun. Sunlight is what we get most of our vitamin D from -- so it's okay to be outside for five to 10 minutes a day without sunscreen, says Meg Fisher, president of the American Association of Pediatrics' New Jersey chapter and chair of the pediatrics department at Monmouth Medical Center.
But not too much sun. You should always use sunscreen when outside for extended periods of time and you should reapply after you come out of the water, Fisher says. Fisher describes SPF ratings as "mostly hype" and says there's very little difference between SPF 20 and SPF 100. She suggests simply buying the cheapest sunscreen.
Use insect repellent. DEET is the best form of repellent to use for both mosquitoes and ticks, Fisher says. Mosquitoes are more common at dusk, she says, so you can lower your chances of getting bit by staying inside around sundown.
Avoid forests and high grass, where ticks are most common. Deer ticks, which transport Lyme disease, have poor eyesight so they rely on carbon dioxide to tell them when a human or animal is nearby, Fisher says. To better smell the air, ticks generally climb on high grass. As a general rule, if you can see your shoe tops, you're in a low tick area, Fisher says.
Lyme disease is a very Jersey hazard; cases of the illness are found almost exclusively in the Northeast and Midwest. A 2012 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that New Jersey has the third most cases of Lyme disease in the country, after Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
If you find one on you or your kid, remove ticks by using tweezers.
Never use a match, cigarette or any other heat source to remove them, Fisher says. Using the tweezers, grip the tick by the head and pull straight out. If parts of the head are left in skin after you remove the tick, it's okay to leave them and let me fall out naturally.
Check for ticks regularly. A tick has to be on you for 36 to 72 hours before it can get you sick, so if you're able to remove the tick quickly, your chances of getting sick are low, Fisher says.
Fence in backyard pools. Make sure pools are enclosed and have gates with a locking mechanism so children can't get into the pool unsupervised, Fisher says.
Wear a helmet. Children should wear a helmet at all times when biking or skateboarding, Fisher says. Adults should wear a helmet too, both for their own safety and to set a good example for children.
Always wear a helmet, America
Supervise children on playgrounds. Adults should always be nearby when children are on playgrounds. When kids are playing on the equipment, they can sometimes stumble or become off-balance for a moment, Fisher says. If parents are nearby, they can catch the child before they fall and possibly injure themselves.
Don't dig too deep. When at the beach, children should never dig deeper than their knee height, Fisher says. Parents should also not allow their children to make or play in sand tunnels, as these structures are not safe and could collapse and trap the child, she says. In 2012, a 12-year-old playing on the beach in Long Branch was killed when the sand tunnel he was playing in suffocated him.
Only swim at guarded beaches. Statistics from the United States Lifesaving Association show that an individual is five times more likely to drown at an unguarded beach than at a guarded beach.
Talk to the lifeguards. It's the lifeguards' job to know about water conditions and the existence of dangerous currents -- so ask them, says Tom Gill, media representative at the United States Lifesaving Association.
Learn to swim. Learning to swim is the best defense against drowning, Gill says. Without any swimming skills, the ocean can be a very dangerous place, he says.
Enter the water feet-first. Diving head first into unknown waters can cause serious, lifelong injuries if the water is too shallow or there are hidden rocks, according to the association.
Stay on the trail. Don't venture away from marked paths and avoid hiking in areas with low visibility, Considine says.
If there's a thunderstorm, take shelter. Thunderstorms come with lightening so at the first sign of a storm, take shelter and stay out of open areas where you could be struck by lightening or find yourself in danger of falling trees, Considine says. The National Weather Service recommends staying inside for 30 minutes after the last thunder clap.
If you see a bear while out hiking, do not feed or approach it. The NJDEP recommends staying calm and making the bear aware of your presence by talking in a calm assertive voice. Yell, bang pots and pans or blow an air horn to scare away the bear. Make yourself look big by putting your hands in the air.
More important safety tips at....http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/47_ways_to_have_a_safer_nj_summer.html#incart_rive r_default
http://boiseguardian.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Tencateportrait1.jpg http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/600x39613.jpg
Have a safe summer!
2681
Owen Pegler, 6, catches a wave on his boogie board at Spring Lake's North End Pavilion in July 2010. Parents should watch children at all times when they're in the water. (Andrew Mills/ The Star-Ledger)
http://imgick.nj.com/home/njo-media/width40/img/avatars/11790536.pngBy Jessica Iannetta/The Star-Ledger
on June 17, 2014 at 7:04 AM, updated June 17, 2014 at 7:05 AM
Things are definitely heating up. Summer officially arrives Saturday morning -- the weather sure feels like it -- and it's finally time to break out the grill, jump in the pool, head for a hike in the hillls, hit the beach and otherwise embrace these long, hot days.
But the season of fun in the great outdoors has its dangerous side, too -- especially in New Jersey, where everything from deer ticks to rip currents lurk just out of sight, ready to put a serious damper on your summer celebrations. To keep yourself and your kids happy and healthy, here are the state's health and safety experts' best tips for staying safe until it's time to head back indoors in the fall:
Soak in the sun. Sunlight is what we get most of our vitamin D from -- so it's okay to be outside for five to 10 minutes a day without sunscreen, says Meg Fisher, president of the American Association of Pediatrics' New Jersey chapter and chair of the pediatrics department at Monmouth Medical Center.
But not too much sun. You should always use sunscreen when outside for extended periods of time and you should reapply after you come out of the water, Fisher says. Fisher describes SPF ratings as "mostly hype" and says there's very little difference between SPF 20 and SPF 100. She suggests simply buying the cheapest sunscreen.
Use insect repellent. DEET is the best form of repellent to use for both mosquitoes and ticks, Fisher says. Mosquitoes are more common at dusk, she says, so you can lower your chances of getting bit by staying inside around sundown.
Avoid forests and high grass, where ticks are most common. Deer ticks, which transport Lyme disease, have poor eyesight so they rely on carbon dioxide to tell them when a human or animal is nearby, Fisher says. To better smell the air, ticks generally climb on high grass. As a general rule, if you can see your shoe tops, you're in a low tick area, Fisher says.
Lyme disease is a very Jersey hazard; cases of the illness are found almost exclusively in the Northeast and Midwest. A 2012 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that New Jersey has the third most cases of Lyme disease in the country, after Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
If you find one on you or your kid, remove ticks by using tweezers.
Never use a match, cigarette or any other heat source to remove them, Fisher says. Using the tweezers, grip the tick by the head and pull straight out. If parts of the head are left in skin after you remove the tick, it's okay to leave them and let me fall out naturally.
Check for ticks regularly. A tick has to be on you for 36 to 72 hours before it can get you sick, so if you're able to remove the tick quickly, your chances of getting sick are low, Fisher says.
Fence in backyard pools. Make sure pools are enclosed and have gates with a locking mechanism so children can't get into the pool unsupervised, Fisher says.
Wear a helmet. Children should wear a helmet at all times when biking or skateboarding, Fisher says. Adults should wear a helmet too, both for their own safety and to set a good example for children.
Always wear a helmet, America
Supervise children on playgrounds. Adults should always be nearby when children are on playgrounds. When kids are playing on the equipment, they can sometimes stumble or become off-balance for a moment, Fisher says. If parents are nearby, they can catch the child before they fall and possibly injure themselves.
Don't dig too deep. When at the beach, children should never dig deeper than their knee height, Fisher says. Parents should also not allow their children to make or play in sand tunnels, as these structures are not safe and could collapse and trap the child, she says. In 2012, a 12-year-old playing on the beach in Long Branch was killed when the sand tunnel he was playing in suffocated him.
Only swim at guarded beaches. Statistics from the United States Lifesaving Association show that an individual is five times more likely to drown at an unguarded beach than at a guarded beach.
Talk to the lifeguards. It's the lifeguards' job to know about water conditions and the existence of dangerous currents -- so ask them, says Tom Gill, media representative at the United States Lifesaving Association.
Learn to swim. Learning to swim is the best defense against drowning, Gill says. Without any swimming skills, the ocean can be a very dangerous place, he says.
Enter the water feet-first. Diving head first into unknown waters can cause serious, lifelong injuries if the water is too shallow or there are hidden rocks, according to the association.
Stay on the trail. Don't venture away from marked paths and avoid hiking in areas with low visibility, Considine says.
If there's a thunderstorm, take shelter. Thunderstorms come with lightening so at the first sign of a storm, take shelter and stay out of open areas where you could be struck by lightening or find yourself in danger of falling trees, Considine says. The National Weather Service recommends staying inside for 30 minutes after the last thunder clap.
If you see a bear while out hiking, do not feed or approach it. The NJDEP recommends staying calm and making the bear aware of your presence by talking in a calm assertive voice. Yell, bang pots and pans or blow an air horn to scare away the bear. Make yourself look big by putting your hands in the air.
More important safety tips at....http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/47_ways_to_have_a_safer_nj_summer.html#incart_rive r_default
http://boiseguardian.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Tencateportrait1.jpg http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/600x39613.jpg
Have a safe summer!