Tragically, it has happened already this season. At least two children have died this month after being left inside vehicles on 80 degree days. Even on not very hot days such as 80 degrees, temperatures will reach dangerously high and be deadly in only a matter of a few minutes. This tragedy happened to loving, caring parents who unfortunately were distracted from this potential danger.

According to the Lyme Disease Foundation, Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious disease in America. Hundreds of thousands of Americans become infected each year causing paralyzing fatigue, crippling arthritis, and neurological problems.

Lyme disease is caused by tick bites. In the United States, both the Deer Tick and the Western Black Tick carry Lyme disease. Both ticks are found usually in wooded areas, however tall grass, leaf piles and wood piles also provide cover for ticks looking for their next meal.

Lyme disease has two types of symptoms, early, first onset symptoms and later symptoms. Early symptoms are flu like and include fatigue, tiredness, joint and muscle pain. There also may be a rash around the bite site, but symptoms can vary based on the individual. Secondary symptoms include more severe joint pain, back pain, bladder difficulties, vertigo and weakness in the legs. Late Lyme disease can also cause brain, joint and heart infections.

Preventing tick bites is your first line of defense against Lyme disease. Skin should be covered with light colored clothing so its more easy to spot any ticks crawling. Tuck in your shirt and tuck your pant legs into your socks. Ticks will crawl towards exposed skin, so be sure to check your head and neck. There are insect repellents that offer some protection too.

It is very important to inspect yourself, your children and your pets after being outside. Ticks are most easy to remove before they bite and dig in. The good news is a tick has to be embedded for 36 hours to transmit Lyme Disease. Proper removal of ticks is key to preventing infection.

If a tick is attached, the Lyme Disease foundation recommends removing it using a tweezers. Gently grab the tick by its mouth or head and lift up, waiting for the tick to remove its head on its own. Do not jerk or twist. Never grab the tick’s body because you might separate the tick’s body from its head. You do not want to break off the tick’s head and leave it embedded in your skin. If you are successful in removing the tick still alive, you can submit the tick for testing to see if it is carrying Lyme Disease. Clean the bite area with disinfectant.

The American Lyme Disease Foundation has several tick removal videos to view on their website.

For more information on Lyme Disease, please visit the American Lyme Disease Foundation webpage, http://www.aldf.com/

Drowning is 100% preventable. Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury or death in children under the age of 14. May is National Water Safety Month to bring attention and awareness to drowning prevention with the hope we can prevent another preventable injury or death from occurring.

70% of preschoolers who drown are in the care of one or both parents at the time of their drowning. 75% of those preschoolers were out of their parents’ sight for 5 minutes or less. Of those children who survive a near drowning, most of them were rescued from the water within 2 minutes and received CPR.

You have very little time to rescue someone who is drowning and drowning can be very quiet. You will not see or hear splashing. You may not know someone is in distress unless you are watching very attentively and you are within an arm’s reach.

If you don’t already know it, learn CPR. Practice and refresh your CPR/first skills on a regular basis.

Always designate a “Water Watcher” who is a grown, responsible adult. The Water Watcher must constantly keep an eye on anyone swimming. A Water Watcher can’t read a magazine or be distracted in any way.

Keep a phone nearby along with other safety equipment such as safety floats and grab poles.

Remember to REACH OR THROW DON’T GO. A person in water distress, even a small child, will instinctively push any rescuer down, under the water. Throw something that floats to the victim to give them help and/or reach out with a stick or a pool noodle. Even a towel or jacket can be used to reach out with in an emergency.

Floaties, or other floatation toys are not a substitute for direct supervision. Never leave toys in the pool which could tempt children to go in after them.

Pool and spa covers should be in good working condition. Keep the gate around the pool locked and do not leave patio furniture near the gate where children may be tempted to climb up and over.

Children can drown in only a few inches of water. Empty all buckets, kiddie pools and install toilet locks.

Always wear your life jacket when you are boating. Having it in the boat, does not offer you the same protection as having it on. Even strong swimmers have drown in boating accidents because they were not wearing their life vest.

This week in Wisconsin marks Tornado/Severe Weather Awareness week. Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes each year, but last year we had 38 and the year before we had 46! Peak tornado season in Wisconsin is from April through August but tornadoes can happen at any time of the year. In 2008 there was a tornado in January near Kenosha.

Any severe weather can pose a safety risk if you don’t take precautions. One reason why people are being injured or killed in severe weather is because they are not taking warnings seriously. The National Weather Service conducted a study and found people needed two to nine risk signals BEFORE seeking shelter. For example, when people hear sirens, they go to the window to look out or call friends. This wastes precious time.

When a WATCH is issued, be aware of possible severe weather changes that could occur with very little advanced notice. When a WARNING is issued, it is time to take cover immediately. A WARNING does not mean look outside to see if you can actually see a tornado approaching.

The safest place to take shelter is under the stairs or under a table or desk in the basement, away from windows. If a basement is not available, seek shelter in an interior room without windows. Put as many walls as possible between you and the storm and cover yourself with blankets.

Do your best not to be caught outside. Seek an indoor shelter. If you must stay in your car and you cannot drive away, wear your seat belt and duck below the windows. Your best chance is always inside a shelter.

Spring is here and we’re opening up the windows to welcome fresh air into our homes. Are you aware of the potential risks an open window could bring?

Let’s consider falls. Every year more than 5,000 children end up in the emergency room due to falls from windows. For the past two decades, this number has remained pretty constant. Half of these falls resulted in injuries to the head or face. This is because most young children are top heavy. Most of these falls occurred not from high story buildings but from second story windows.

It is important to make sure children do not have access to windows. Furniture should not be placed where children could climb up and climb into windows. Teach children not to jump on beds which could propel them unsafely towards windows. Never trust a screen alone to prevent your child from falling through. Screens have been designed to keep insects out while allowing for ventilation. Screens are not designed to hold up to a child’s weight.

Install proper window guards or stops that will prevent falls, but also allow for emergency access. Your windows provide an escape route in the event of a fire. Every room needs two escape routes and for bedrooms, this usually means the window is the second choice exit. Never block window access. Furniture placed by a window not only poses a hazard if children use it to climb up and into the windows, but furniture could also block access to the window exit in an emergency.

Never leave children unattended around open windows. At bedtime, windows should be closed and locked for security, especially in rooms with children. Turn on the air conditioning/central air or use fans to provide a comfortable sleeping environment without having to leave a window open unsupervised.

Window dressings can also pose safety risks. All cords need to be out of reach of children or better yet install cordless window coverings

Accidental drowning is the leading cause of death in children age 5 and under. Larger bodies of water are often not to blame. Over half of the children under age 5 who have drown, have done so in the bathtub. It only takes a few inches of water to drown a child.

Children need constant supervision while they are in the bathtub. Using a bath seat can create a false sense of security. While your child is in the tub, you DO NOT have any moments to spare to run to grab a towel, answer the phone or tend to anything else. Your constant, undivided attention is required to keep your child safe at all times in the bathtub.

Older siblings should never be asked to supervise while you take a moment to step out. This puts too big of a responsibility on their shoulders. Prepare for bath time, gathering everything you need before even turning on the water. Commit to staying there with your child from start to finish.

Also in the bathroom do not over look the toilet as a drowning hazard. Top heavy toddlers can fall head first into the toilet bowl and drown. Install toilet seat locks.

Outside of the bathroom, never leave buckets of water, even with a few inches of water, around where children can access them. Turn over kiddie pools when you are done. You may empty the pool but if the pool is stored upright, rainwater could collect enough water to pose a risk. It really only takes a few inches of water to pose a drowning risk.

We think this video, “Please Watch Out When There’s Water About” really helps spread this message. We hope you share this message with everyone you know, so we can all commit to preventing drowning.

It’s also a great time of year to SPRING into Safety with these safety reminders!

* Change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Don’t wait for that annoying beep to alert you. Use Daylight Savings Time to remind you. Whether we SPRING forward or Fall back, when you change your clock, change your batteries too.

* Review your fire escape plan. As you test your smoke detector, have your family practice TWO escape routes from your home and make sure everyone knows where to meet up outside. Remember to crawl low, face covered to avoid smoke inhalation and to feel doors before opening. Try finding your way with your eyes closed. In the event of a real fire, the smoke could make things very dark.

* Practice your severe weather drills. Know where the safest place in your home is in the event severe spring weather brings tornadoes. This spot is usually a middle or low lying room without windows. We store a tote filled with flashlights, first aid supplies, blankets and extra shoes at our family’s designated tornado shelter area. This saves us time because all we have to do is take shelter.

* Properly store cleaning supplies. As you rev up your spring cleaning, remember to properly store cleaning supplies away from children and pets. Properly dispose of used products according to manufacturer guidelines. Consider using eco friendly products which are safer for the environment and safer for you. At Swim West, we use non toxic, biodegradable Simple Green.

* Swap out your helmets. The snow is melting, so store away those ski and snow board helmets and strap on your bicycle or skateboarding helmet. Make sure straps are adjusted to ensure a snug fit. Your children may have grown quite a bit over the winter.

Tip overs are one of the most common hidden dangers in the home for children according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Between the years 2008 and 2010, 20,000 children aged 9 or younger were injured or killed by furniture or TVs falling over and crushing them.

Furniture and television manufacturers are NOT required to provide anchor straps. Most furniture and televisions do not come with anchor straps, and it is up to parents and care givers to take the important step of installing anchor straps on any tipping hazard in the home.

Its not just larger dressers and older style TVs that pose a risk. Even a shorter dresser is heavy enough to crush a young a child to death. Other tipping hazards often over looked include aquariums, bookshelves, microwaves and other appliances. Do not think your child is incapable of climbing onto a tipping hazard causing it to fall over onto to them.

Securely anchor all tipping hazards with straps attached to wall studs. Store heavier items in the bottom drawer or bottom shelf. Even with new flat screen TVs, make sure you have securely mounted them to the wall. Never place toys or other items your child may desire on top of dressers or up high on shelves.

Here is a video from Safe Kids showing you exactly how a dresser can pose a tipping risk to children and how to install an anchor strap.

Less than 1/3 of people who experience a cardiac arrest at home, at work , or in public, receive CPR from a willing volunteer nearby. Hands Only CPR is an excellent option for those who worry about being able to perform CPR correctly. Hands Only CPR is better than no CPR, and removes any concern about communicable disease. Most states now have Good Samaritan laws, so you cannot be held liable if you attempt Hands On CPR.

Hands Only CPR is relatively simple to execute. First step- CALL 911 or have someone nearby call for you. If your victim is unresponsive, center the heel of your hand on their chest, overlap with your other hand and press down hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives.

I invite you to check out the Hands Only CPR website, click here.

You can find videos demonstrating how to perform Hands Only CPR as well as phone apps you can download for free.

February is heart health awareness month. Most heart disease is preventable, yet heart disease remains the number one cause of death for men and women. The best tips for keeping your heart healthy – don’t smoke, eat right, see a doctor for checks up,  and exercise daily.

Several studies have proven that swimming is one of the best types of exercise. Swimming works both your heart and lungs. Most of your muscle groups are used while swimming, leading to increased muscle strength and flexibility. Swimming is an activity that can be enjoyed throughout your lifetime because it is easy on your joints. Swimming is also stress relieving which is another important part of cardiovascular health. The warm, soothing water surrounding you, your rhythmic movements as you move through the water, your focus on your breathing, all of these elements make swimming meditative and very relaxing for your mind.

If swimming laps aren’t your thing, the water offers many other opportunities for heart healthy exercise. Water walking or water running are wonderful alternatives, and water aerobics is always fun.

Working out in water burns lots of calories, which in turn, helps you achieve a healthy body weight, another important component to keeping your heart healthy.

Its never too late to learn to swim. Although children do seem to be able to trust swimming techniques more easily, adults are very capable of learning to swim. Do something great for your heart and come for a swim!