To keep you and your family whole on this upcoming boisterous holiday, please consider the advice below:

Skip the fireworks stand
The best way to stay safe on the 4^thof July? Leave the shows to the pros. There are simply too many things that can go wrong when setting off fireworks, even the simple ones. (See below about sparklers.) And we’re not talking about minor injuries here. According to the National Safety Council, fireworks in 2017 resulted in:

• 8 deaths
• 12,000 injuries
• 18,500 fires

If those numbers don’t dissuade you and you absolutely must have fireworks rather than go to a show, see these safety tips offered by KidsHealth.org.

Choose an alternative to sparklers
I’m a middle-aged person and I still love sparklers. But they are far more dangerous than most people realize because they can get as hot as 1,800 degrees! That seemingly harmless staple of Independence Day celebrations causes 25% of the fireworks injuries that result in emergency room visits. For children under 5 years old, sparklers were the reason for almost 50% of the injuries.

Sparklers might be hard to avoid, since they are ubiquitous on the 4^th, included in the combos so common at the fireworks stands. Be ready with alternatives such as glow sticks or a small American flag to wave. And for the really young who can be stubborn and unreasonable (life with toddlers!), consider a stash of popsicles to offer as alternatives if nothing else will appease.

Watch out for your pets–PLEASE
The best thing you can do for your pets on the 4^th? Leave them at home, inside the home. If you’re entertaining at home or risking your own fireworks, keep your pets locked in the house. If you’re heading out to watch fireworks elsewhere, same. Your dog or cat will feel safer if inside, and you’re less likely to have a runaway.

Even if you assume your pets will be fine, keep them inside. The fireworks are far more scary for pets than we humans realize, as evidenced by the record numbers of animals that are turned in to animal shelters on July 5^theach year.

At our house, our oldest pet is a cat who showed up at an acquaintance’s on July 5^th. She obviously had been panicked by the noise and hung out in his unwelcome yard for a month until I scooped her up and brought her home, all skin and bones by then. (That was 15 years ago, and she has been the queen of our household ever since as 6 pounds of feline terror who lords it over both the dogs and the humans. Maybe it was her tenacity that kept her alive for that month as a stray!)

Realize there’s no such thing as a “safe” firework
Thinking back to my own childhood of decades ago and my fondness for the black snakes of charcoal, I thought I might find a list of “safe” fireworks as I wrote this post. But alas, there doesn’t seem to be any such thing. I guess because you can’t have a firework without fire, even a match or a lighter, everything is risky. So follow the advice above and keep you, your kids, your pets and your property safe and sane this Independence Day—and maybe focus on the reason for the day instead.

1. Run with a buddy
If you can avoid it, try not to run alone, because being alone makes you an easy target. If you don’t have a neighbor or friend to run with, see if you can join a local running group and run with them.

2. Run out in the open
If you are running alone, avoid trail running or any other kind of running that’s not in the open. Running on a busy road sucks, but at least you have a lot of people around who provide a deterrent to anyone with bad intentions! Also, running in a neighborhood or business district means you have homes or businesses to turn to should something bad happen.

3. Run in the daylight
Many people have to run after dark because of their work schedules, but avoid that if you can. The more daylight, the more safety! If you do run after dark, try to partner with a running buddy to prevent being attacked. Also wear reflective clothing and some kind of light or lamp to help cars see you.

4. Run with your ears wide open
Music makes running better! But when your ears are plugged up with your playlist, you can’t hear cars—or a potential attacker. Now, if you’re running with a buddy, you’ll probably be talking and you have the safety of numbers. But if you’re running alone, keep at least one ear bud-free so you can hear what’s going on around you.

5. Run with your eyes wide open
Also pay attention with your eyes. Don’t assume the passing cars see you. Try to make eye contact with drivers if you’re not sure, and still assume the worst. Only cross the street in designated areas. Be careful driving past parked cars when a door might suddenly swing open. Watch the sidewalk for cracks and the height of the curbs to prevent falls. Yes, you want to go into a zone, but you still must stay aware of what’s going on around you and under your feet.

You want to be fit, but you also want to be safe. These five tips should help. Happy running!

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

As with all new technology, some people are more wary of it than others, but they have good cause to be, and scary Uber driver stories get shared all over social media. But these six tips below will help you stay safe.

1. Keep your rating high and you’ll get a safer driver. A rider with a 4.9 rating won’t get a driver with a 4.4 rating, so you’re getting a safer driver. To keep that high rating, be ready to head out the door as soon as possible when you call your car. Make sure that your coat and shoes are on, your tab is paid, or your bag is packed. Forcing a driver to wait could give you a bad rating or even cause them to drive off after 2-5 minutes.
2. Check the license number on your phone and make sure your car’s plates match. Your driver will understand if you take a few seconds to peek at the back of their car to make sure you’re getting in the right one.
3. Speaking of, make sure this is actually your car! I have watched people hop into the back of my Uber or Lyft and travel a few feet before the car stops and they sheepishly hop back out. Your driver will know your name, so ask who the car is for before actually climbing inside.
4. Some drivers provide water, snacks, candy and even phone chargers for their passengers. This is courteous and can really bump them up to a 5-star rating! If you do accept, do not consume anything that is not 100% sealed and untampered with. When in doubt, just politely decline.
5. Use the app’s features to increase your safety factor. Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft have tons of great ways to be informed about every aspect of your ride. Check the wait time before the car arrives, send an ETA to a friend so they’ll know your whereabouts, tip your driver ahead of time to prevent delays, or even learn how many rides your driver has done. If using UberPool or a Shared Lyft, you can also check where your driver is picking up and/or dropping off the other passengers so you’re aware of your surroundings at all times.
6. This isn’t a safety tip, but some rider etiquette that could help your rating: Talk to your driver! Ask how their day is going, when they started driving, etc. If they don’t seem interested in a conversation, you don’t have to push it, but you can at least treat your driver like another human being and try to interact. Do not be one of those rude people who sits in the backseat on their phone acting like the driver isn’t even there.

Our world is changing and evolving every day because of technology. You can order food through Uber, online retailers now offer same-day delivery, and some phones can unlock by just using your face. With all this rapid change, it can be tough to stay on top of staying safe—but safety is always worth the effort. Always.

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) promotes international Data Privacy Day to raise awareness of the importance of privacy and protecting personal information. In today’s always-connected world that’s threatened by data breaches and data mining, it’s more necessary than ever to be aware of how your personal data is captured, stored and used.

In celebration of Data Privacy Day, here are three areas you can protect yourself and your personal information when it comes to data security…

In Your Home
Your “private” information may be more public than you realize. Now is the time to check privacy settings on your social media sites, apps and smart devices like phones or tablets. Also talk to your family members about what they share online, and how their information can be bought and sold without their knowledge. Yes, your personal data has a monetary value, so be sure to protect it.

In the Workplace
Data security is just as important at work. Make sure all systems or devices are up-to-date to help protect your company’s privacy. This includes any virus or malware protection you may (and should) have. Also check that your personal devices aren’t syncing to work devices, such as onto the same cloud. This helps to protect you, but it also protects the network at work, should your personal device get compromised.

In Your Community
Help members of your community by spreading the word and providing resources about Data Privacy Day. This could mean asking your elderly neighbor if they need assistance protecting their technology, or sending information to the parents of your children’s friends. Anyone lacking experience with cyber security is sure to benefit from your helping hand, especially if you educate them on the risks.

Knowledge is power, and in this case power means protection. Try to set some time aside on January 28th to secure your personal data, even if it means finally accepting those updates that have been popping up on your computer for weeks. Speaking of popping, maybe pop some bubble wrap too, because we could all use a little stress relief now and then.

For National Preparedness Month last month, Farmers Insurance conducted a survey and published the results as both a list of findings and a planning resource. Among the shocking statistics, Farmers Insurance learned:

• 70% of people living in the U.S. have experienced some kind of natural disaster.
• One-third of those say they’ve been in a hurricane.
• 60% of households do not have an emergency plan in place in case of a natural disaster.
• 55% of people living in the U.S. don’t have an emergency kit.
• 35% of those who do have an emergency kit and are pet owners don’t have any pet supplies in their emergency kit.

The results of that survey gave me a jolt because I fall into the “don’t have” category every time. We haven’t discussed emergency planning around here since we became empty nesters, which makes no sense, but is sadly true. So I am more than ready to tackle the emergency plan and kit as outlined in the document.

Your emergency plan
Are you also ready to get prepared? If so, the following suggestions offered by Farmers Insurance should help you develop your emergency plan for starters:

• Know how you’ll receive emergency alerts. If the power goes out, as well as the Internet, how will you stay informed? A hand-powered or battery operated radio might be in order.
• Know your evacuation route and shelter plan. If you have to evacuate, where will you go? Think about which roads might or might not be open in the event of a disaster. For us, for example, we really need to figure that out because we are three miles down a dead-end road. We could easily be cut off and unable to evacuate without a plan. If you have pets, research pet-friendly shelters ahead of time.
• Know how you’ll get in touch with each other. Make sure everyone in the family has phone numbers memorized or written down in case a cell phone is lost and you can’t access your contacts. Then consider choosing a friend or family member who lives outside of the area as the contact point in case you can’t get in touch with each other.
• Know where you’ll meet. If one person is at work and another at school and a third at home, and when disaster hits, meeting at home won’t be an option, where will you meet instead?

Your emergency kit
If you need to evacuate, you will need a grab-and-go emergency kit that you can take with you at a moment’s notice. Farmers Insurance recommends your kit include:

• Water
• Drinking water tablets
• First aid kit
• Canned food and can opener
• Blankets, preferably the space saving emergency kind
• Warm clothes
• Sturdy shoes
• Medication
• Dust mask
• Extra eyeglasses
• Bleach
• Baby items such as diapers and baby food
• Pet items such as food, water bowl and leash
• Hygiene products such as tissues and hand wipes
• A plastic bucket in case toilets aren’t available
• Battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
• Flashlights and batteries
• Fire extinguisher
• Multifunctional axe/knife
• Whistle
• Trash bags
• Small tent
• Cooking stove, fuel and pot
• Heavy gloves
• Shovel
• Rope
• Wrench
• Cash
• Copies of important documents
• Phone numbers

You can see the full list here. Note that most of these items are things you should have on hand, even if you don’t need to evacuate. So have this stuff handy regardless, okay?

Are you one of the 60%?
The year 2017 was the costliest ever, with natural disasters causing $306 billion worth of damage. As we near the end of 2018, it seems we had an easier year, but one thing is for certain: Natural disasters will always be a threat. We can’t do anything about that or the destruction they will do, but we can take steps to keep ourselves and our families safe by preparing ahead of time. And according to Farmers Insurance, 60% of us need to get our acts together and get ready!

Whatever it is about this time of year with the golden light and the cooler mornings, I get the urge to tackle projects, wrap up loose ends, and start anew. And that includes thinking about safety and security as the days get shorter, both at home and at work.

While perusing the Internet in search of good workplace safety tips, I came across this handy checklist:

Admittedly, we’ve done a few blog posts on workplace safety and doing safety audits, like this post on being disaster ready at work and this one on doing a home security review in the fall. But this checklist jumped out at me for three reasons:

1. It’s easy to use! Print it out, work your way through it, and check the items off.
2. It’s applicable to work too!
3. It’s about everyday security.

In the wake of yet another hurricane (hello, Florence), we can get wrapped up in disaster preparedness and thinking about emergency situations. But the reality is we are more likely to get hurt or burgled during a normal day than we are to find ourselves caught in a natural disaster situation. And that’s why a simple safety audit like this one is a good way to go, to take steps to increase safety and security at all times.

If you own a business or work offsite at one, take a look at this checklist and consider printing it out, doing a walk-through, and fixing some of those little issues that put you at risk.

If you want to do a more thorough job and address disaster preparedness too, you can find a much more detailed workplace safety checklist offered by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. There you’ll also find hundreds of checklists, forms, job descriptions and other resources, all focused on workplace safety.

Because the kids are back in school and they’re not the only ones with projects to tackle this fall…

Last time, we went over cyber safety tips. This time, we offer six school safety tips designed to help your teen not to become a victim of theft. As we’ve done before, we’ve written it directly to your teen…so maybe have them read it, and we’ll nag them for you:

1. If you don’t want to lose it, leave it at home
   Leave anything you don’t want stolen at home. Yes, your new jacket is to be admired and you want your iPod near, but taking them to school means losing them to theft or forgetfulness.
2. Lock the car and keep valuables out of sight
   Just as you would when parking your car in any public area, hide anything of value under the car seat or in the trunk of your car if you drive to school—or carpool with a friend. If you leave a purse, backpack, iPod or some other tempting thing in plain sight, you invite a break-in.
3. Lock your locker
   It sounds like commonsense, right? But my own kids confessed to leaving their lockers unlocked for a whole list of reasons. Sometimes it was because they forgot the combination. Other times it was a sticky lock they didn’t want to mess with during the short time between classes. Or there was the time one of them was sharing a locker with a friend. Your locker has a lock for a reason. Use it.
4. Lock your gym locker
   When it comes to the gym locker, kids assume they’re coming back soon, so why bother? When one of my kids was in high school, she told me phones were stolen from gym lockers on a regular basis. As with the advice above, it locks for a reason. Lock it.
5. Do a double-check before leaving the classroom
   When my youngest was still in high school, she suggested this safety tip because forgetting a jacket, purse, cellphone, charger or other piece of property can mean it disappears forever. Teens are distracted anyway, but even more so when in class trying to keep up with the lessons and homework, and then thinking about where they need to be next. If they can get into the habit of doing a double-check before leaving a room, that’s a safety habit they can use anywhere, even when out on their own.

Personal safety and security don’t just happen except through luck. And who wants to trust to luck? Instill good habits in your teens and college students now, and those habits might just stick into adulthood. Now that’s a lesson learned!