FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 26, 2020 2:00pm
(Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police has responded to four separate incidents since April 12, 2020, where a child has fallen from an open window and suffered injury.
The combination of hot weather and the pandemic has created a stronger likelihood that children are home and indoors. In homes without air conditioning there is a greater safety risk of children falling out of windows.
It is important to secure access to your windows; the following are some safety tips:
- Lock your window closed at all times when you cannot supervise a small child around this falling hazard
- Install window guards
- Put up window stoppers
- Move furniture away from windows (there are more accidents when furniture is near a window).
- Remove the cranks from crank-open windows to keep kids from opening them.
More tips and examples of how to keep your children safe around windows can be found online.
Here is Ottawa Public Health’s advice for staying cool during a heat wave:
- Drink plenty of water
- Cool off in the shade or at a park or greenspace or an air conditioned space. City splash pads are now open and beaches open June 27. Some apartment buildings have air-conditioned lounges
- Take cool baths and showers as often as needed. Use a fan and mist your skin with water
- Keep your home cool by closing blinds and curtains on any windows facing the sun
- Stay connected with people in your community who have a difficult time coping with hot weather and those who live alone. Check on them regularly.
- Visit the Parenting in Ottawa website for more info on keeping children safe during hot weather
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