Our Voice: The heat and dangers of summer arrive early
Even though the official start of summer is still almost two weeks away, our weather is giving us an early dose of the season’s heat.
Triple digits are not uncommon here but they are quite rare for this time of year.
We all know what comes with this kind of weather — the need to find ways to stay cool and the fact that most of the landscape around us will become very dry, very quickly.
Heading for a body of water — and there are many around us — can be a great way to beat the heat. But make good decisions and respect the power of the water.
Stay out of irrigation canals. They are fraught with hazard and are intended to bring water to the fields, not for a swimming pool for you or your pets. The water moves quickly, head gates and other infrastructure can pin things under the surface, and the sides are steep. Stay away.
Respect the rivers. No matter how high the temperature, the water never really gets warm. The cold can be a shock to even strong swimmers. And the current is always stronger than it looks. Wear a life jacket, plain and simple. Whether you’re on a stand-up paddle board or a kayak or just wading into what you think is shallow water, just wear one. It will make it easier for you should you get into trouble and will give you a better shot at being rescued.
Backyard and recreational pools can make summer days sweet. Floating with a cool drink and watching the kiddos play is a great way to spend an afternoon. But “watching” is the key word. Kids are quick and can be in the water in a blink of an eye. They don’t always “remember” that they don’t know how to swim in the deep end when the season starts. Get them swim lessons and make sure an adult has an eye on them at all times.
If you have a boat, make sure you have taken the appropriate safety courses and have the necessary equipment on board for your vessel or to help rescue someone else. Kids under 12 must wear a life jacket when on the deck of a boat under 19 feet. Anyone being towed behind a boat in a tube, on a wakeboard, etc., must be wearing a life jacket. The same applies for personal watercraft. And mixing drinking and driving boat are a deadly combination.
Outside the water, the hot sun wreaks havoc on the lands around us. Hillsides that aren’t being farmed are already brown. One-hundred degree temperatures will quickly drive up fire danger. We’ve already seen several fires sparked in the region with a campfire out of control, a discarded cigarette butt or lightning strike.
Follow advisories when it comes to camp fires. We expect they’ll be banned by July if not sooner. You don’t want to be that person that thought the rules didn’t apply to them and then burn down a forest or worse.
Take the time to give your home a onceover. Get rid of piles of debris and yard waste. Make sure you have a buffer of rock or landscaping that isn’t easily combustible around your home’s perimeter. Keep the lawn green if irrigation district’s water allotments allow. Your garden hose is no match for a fire so if, despite all precautions, a fire erupts, dial 911 immediately.
Summer is a time for fun, for getting outside and enjoying all our region has to offer. But every year, lives are lost unnecessarily because proper precautions aren’t taken.
We want summer to be a time when great memories are made and the stories that are told all have happy endings.
This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 3:12 AM with the headline "Our Voice: The heat and dangers of summer arrive early."