With warm, summer-like weather expected to arrive soon, it is important to keep safety precautions in mind, especially with little ones who need extra care, say Surrey RCMP.
Police in Surrey are reminding the public to be wary of open windows in the heat as they pose a risk for children to possibly fall out of as temperatures in Surrey and White Rock are expected to climb as high as 25 C to 30 C this weekend (May 12-14).
“On April 30, 2023, at approximately 1 p.m., we received a report that a two-year-old child had fallen from a second storey window in the Clayton area of Surrey.
“The injuries were not life threatening but the child had to spend a night in hospital,” Surrey RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn said in an email.
“I am aware of at least two incidents at the beginning of last summer where children fell from windows in Surrey.”
Even screen overlays will not prevent a child from falling through a window, as these can pop out easily, Munn noted.
“In some cases, screens actually seem to provided a false sense of security to young children as they lean on them and do not recognize that they come out until it’s too late.”
Police are also asking parents and other adults not to keep furniture or other climbable objects near windows or balconies. Locks on windows or gates at balcony stairs are also a good measure, Munn adds, to prevent clever children from opening a window themselves.
When an open window is desired, “it is recommended that the window opens less than four inches or 10 centimetres, as that allows for airflow but isn’t open far enough that a child can fall out.”
@SobiaMoman
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