Summer is here and we at the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Department want to help keep you safe. Here are some great tips for summer safety:

STRANGERS

A stranger is someone who might want to hurt you. They tell you things that are not true. Sometimes they try to give you candy or ask you to come see their new puppy or new kitten to try and get you closer to them.

A good rule of thumb to follow is, if you don’t know the person-don’t talk to the person. They are a stranger.

So this summer, if someone you don’t know approaches you and says, “Come here, I have some candy for you.” You need to scream “STRANGER DANGER” as loud as you can, and run away. Find an adult you know and tell them immediately what happened.

Strangers are not monsters they are just regular people. A stranger could be the person mowing the grass, cleaning your pool, sacking your groceries, sitting on a park bench, or even driving by. They can be male or female. Any race any size. Remember, “STRANGER DANGER” and run!

BICYCLE SAFETY

When riding your bike this summer, you need to be extra cautious. There will be a lot of traffic and the streets will be busy. After doing a check on your bicycle to make sure everything is working properly and secured, put on your bicycle helmet, elbow pads and knee pads.  

Before entering on to any kind of sidewalk, make sure you look both directions to see that no other bicycles or people are coming. If they are, wait for them to pass. If it’s clear, go ahead.

You should ride on the sidewalk in the opposite direction of traffic.

It would also be wise for you to sit down with mom and dad and learn your hand signals. Which are:

Some other tips to follow would be to wear light colored clothing. Wearing dark colors makes it hard for people to see and you could wind up getting hurt. Another thing, do not ride your bike at night. This is extremely dangerous! Motorist can not see you at night. Even though you have reflective lights on your bike, they should not be relied on as a main source of safety. Biking at night should be avoided at all cost.

Be aware of any debris such as wet leaves, loose gravel, sticks in the road, anything that could make you fall. If the weather becomes bad, you need to head towards safety immediately. Do not stay out in the bad weather riding your bike.

WATER SAFETY

Water can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. You can drown very easily. Always swim with a buddy-never alone. Make sure a lifeguard is around if you are swimming at the pool. If you don’t know how to swim, make sure you are wearing a life preserver, preferably one approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

When swimming, you need to be extremely cautious. If you start feeling tired you need to get out of the water and rest. If you are where you can’t reach the shore or a ladder, call for help from an adult or a lifeguard to help get you to safety. A good rule of thumb is to not go beyond a point you can’t touch.

If the weather becomes bad, you need to get out of the water immediately! Do not stay in the water, especially if you are at the lake. The public swimming pool will probably close down.

Another good rule to remember is ALWAYS JUMP FEET FIRST! Each year children are seriously injured from jumping head first in the water. They get hurt because they don’t know how deep the water is.

DON’T FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN!!!!!!!!!!

HEAT

It will be very hot this summer. Drink lots of water and stay cool! If you are out playing and your legs start hurting, you start feeling sick, or do get sick, or if you just don’t feel good, you need to go home immediately drink some water or Gatorade and cool off. Have one of your friend’s parents drive you home. Make sure you tell your parents about what is happening. If your parents are working, call them at work and tell them you were out playing and got sick.

Hey Kids! Try these links for more good information and fun pages! 

More Fun Page Links Will Be Coming Here Soon!