The summer season is upon us!

Summer is a time for fun, recreation, and time spent well with family and friends. It is also a good time to talk with our kids or grandkids about basic safety rules so everyone can have a safe and fun summer season.

The below listed talking points deal with safety issues the police department commonly encounters in connection with children this time of the year.

Helmet Safety

• An appropriate helmet should be worn whenever a child is “on wheels.” This means bicycles, scooters, skates, rollerblades, skateboards and more!

• The helmet must fit properly.

• Helmets can be lifesaving and can protect a child from serious injury.

• Be sure the right type of helmet is being used. For example, a bike helmet needs to be used for biking.

• Mom and dad should wear helmets as well.

Pedestrian Safety

• Teach children to walk, not run, across the street. Look both ways!

• Children should cross only with an adult or an older, responsible child.

• Whenever crossing the street, try to make eye contact with any drivers nearby, to be sure they see you.

• Teach children to avoid running out from between parked cars.

• Use sidewalks whenever possible.

• Always hold your child’s hand near moving or parked vehicles.

• Adults always need to set a good example.

Water Safety

• Adult supervision is of paramount importance. Parents need to focus on their children 100 percent of the time. No distractions!

• Practice “touch supervision” (a term used by the American Academy of Pediatrics). This means that at all times, the supervising adult is within an arm’s length of the child being watched, when near or in the water.

• Remember, no child or adult is “drowning proof.”

• Keep in mind that children can drown in many different water sources including: bathtubs, toilets, buckets, baby pools, backyard swimming pools, community pools, streams, creeks, lakes, rivers, oceans and other places.

For additional safety tips, visit Safe Kids.org at https://www.safekids.org/safetytips.

During the summer months, kids might also be spending more time at home alone while mom and dad are at work. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers the following advice before allowing your kids to stay home alone.

You should…

• Assess your child. Make sure he or she is mature enough to handle this responsibility. Ask your child how he or she feels about being alone.

• Define rules and expectations to help ensure your child maintains a daily routine while home alone.

• Keep a list of numbers close to the telephone including those for you, other trusted adults, 911 and other emergency services.

• Create practice situations and be sure your child understands what to do in specific emergencies such as a fire, severe weather, or loss of electricity.

Make sure your child knows…

• His or her full name, address and telephone number along with your full name and how to reach you.

• He or she should never open the door for someone unless that person is on a preapproved list of trusted adults you have provided.

Also make sure your child knows how to…

• Contact 911 in case of an emergency.

• Carry his or her key so it is hidden and secure.

• Lock the door after entering and make sure the home is secure.

• Tell callers you are unavailable instead of saying he or she is home alone.

• Check with you immediately upon returning home to let you know he or she has safely arrived.

For additional safety tips, visit: https://www.missingkids.org/HOME.

For more information about child safety, please contact Chief of Police Michael Tupper at the Marshalltown Police Department via telephone at 641-754-5771 or via email at mtupper@marshalltown-ia.gov.

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Mike Tupper is the police chief for the city of Marshalltown.