00:00the fourth of july it's just around the quarter and whether you're making plans for the beach pool
00:03parties fireworks and more the american red cross wants you to stay safe well joining us right now
00:10is tracy fox national spokesperson uh for the american red cross thanks so much for joining us
00:17here as we get ready for the holiday weekend and what are the biggest fireworks safety risks people
00:24tend to overlook during independence day celebrations sure the the first thing is the
00:32safest way to view fireworks is always to go to a public show where the fireworks are set up by
00:37professionals if if that's not something you're able or inclined to do the number one risk is just
00:44make sure that the fireworks are legal in your local area many states outlaw most fireworks so
00:50do some research check into that and then if you're doing fireworks at home designate one person
00:56make sure the one person lighting the fireworks has eye protection and water nearby and you want to
01:01make sure that you never try to relight a dud if something doesn't light the first time just douse
01:07it with some water move on to the next firework and then with the little kids and your pets keep them
01:13safe and sound this holiday make sure your pets are safely secured indoors away from fireworks so they
01:18don't get scared and run off and with small children instead of sparklers or something along those
01:24lines think about maybe doing glow sticks or noisemakers so they can have a safe and fun holiday
01:29i like that that's a good tip all right many families will be spending time by the water what does the
01:33american red cross recommend to stay water smart and safe this holiday sure if you're going to be near
01:40the water whether you're at the beach or pool a water park other body of water you want to make sure
01:45you're only swimming in designated areas with lifeguards on duty even with lifeguards we encourage
01:51everyone to have a water watcher that just means you've got an adult who's watching the other adults
01:57the kids everybody that's in the water to prevent any problems we also want to make sure that you're
02:05not jumping in if you do see someone who's in trouble try to find something a life ring or something
02:10else that you can throw out to that person don't immediately jump in we don't want two victims
02:15instead of one so be safe if there is an emergency and make sure you've got someone that can call 9-1-1
02:22what should beach goers know about rip currents and ocean safety and what should families discuss
02:28before heading to the shore so before you even get to the beach it's important one that you discuss with
02:35your family a designated spot for everybody to meet up it's easy to sort of lose track of where
02:40everyone is on a crowded beach the holiday weekend so make sure the family everyone in the family knows
02:45there's a designated point to meet up again you want to swim where their lifeguards and then follow
02:51any signage that's posted a lot of beaches use a flag system to designate hazards so you want to follow
02:57those instructions any signage any flags that are up to to keep yourself and your family safe and if you find
03:04yourself caught in a rip current the biggest thing is don't panic stay calm it's going to push you out
03:10but if you swim parallel to the shore so you're along the shoreline you can get out of that current and
03:15then make your way back to the shore the red cross also has a strong need for summer blood donations
03:22why is this time of year so crucial every summer we see the schedules get changed for everybody right
03:28you're taking family vacations the kids are in summer camp there's just a different pattern to life
03:34and with that comes additional travel so we often see unfortunately more more emergency situations
03:40more trauma situations and what we've already seen just a couple weeks into summer so far is an
03:46increased need for typo blood that's what's used in emergencies if there's not time to match the the
03:52patient's needs so we encourage everybody take time now while you can go to redcrossblood.org and schedule a
04:00blood donation appointment near you tracy fox national spokesperson for the american red cross thanks
04:07for joining us here on accuweather early and we hope that you have a great independence day thank you
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