Summer is here and we would like to remind homeowners to continue to take precautions for the safety of their family so that at-home accidents can be avoided. Keeping family safe is always a priority but on top of that, not having any claims might help in keeping your Miami home insurance premium as low as possible.
Some aspects of summer to keep in mind are hurricane preparedness, pool safety (if you have, or will have, one) and your lawnmower.
Hurricane Preparedness
A hurricane is never a welcome event but here are some steps you can take to be prepared for one:
1. Make a family plan. Find the safest places inside your house and then talk with your kids to make sure that each family member is aware of them. You can also place emergency numbers where they can be easily accessed by kids.
2. Stock up on supplies. In the event that you are without power for a long time make sure to have pillows, toiletry items, clothing, blankets, food, first aid, flashlights, batteries, and plenty of water. It may also be good to have spare keys, important papers, cash, and credit cards ready if needed.
3. Have a planned evacuation location. If you and your family need to leave your home, look into staying with family or friends that live far enough inland that will not be required to evacuate. If that is not an option, find out where the nearest local shelters are.
4. Secure your home. Do what you can to protect/reinforce your shutters, roof, stairways, and all doors. You could also get in touch with a building code official to learn about any home improvement projects that can help give your home extra protection against hurricanes. And remember, you need a flood insurance policy in place to be covered for any possible flood damage.
5. Take care of your pets. Have a recent photo of your pet and their collar with ID in case they run off. If you use a pet shelter for your four-legged family member, they will need to be up to date on their vaccinations.
Pool Safety
Too many pool-related injuries and deaths occur every year. There is never a wrong time of year for your pool to be a safe place.
1. Call your Miami home insurance agent to ask about any stipulations your home insurance policy may have regarding pools.
2. Children should always be supervised. A few seconds away from the pool is long enough for something bad to happen.
3. Fencing your property can help keep kids and guests (invited or not) from using your pool without you knowing about it.
4. Make sure the pool is free of objects like filters and branches that may keep them from swimming freely.
5. Electrical devices, like radios, should be kept several feet from the edge of the pool and other wet surfaces.
6. Nobody should EVER mix swimming with the consumption of alcohol.
7. It is a good idea to stop swimming when you notice bad weather approaching. A pool is not the place to be should lightning strike.
8. Closely regulate any diving and make sure your kids know what is and is not a safe depth for diving.
9. For anybody you are responsible for, make sure you know how well they can swim.
Personal Lawnmowers
Per year, many thousands need medical attention for injuries arising from the use of a lawnmower. The majority of the accidents happen because people do not know enough about the equipment, use it during poor conditions or are not wearing the right clothing. Take these steps to prevent injuries while using a lawnmower.
1. Take the time to read the manual to familiarize yourself with proper maintenance, safety procedures and its controls before use.
2. Long pants will protect your legs from sticks and rocks that mower blades can fling into the air. Also, non-slip shoes are good and shoes with steel toes are great protection from blade injuries.
3. Keep a constant eye on kids playing near a lawnmower and never walk away from one while it is running.
4. Any and all maintenance should not be performed unless the mower is powered off and the spark plug wire has been disconnected.
5. A lawnmower should be given plenty of time to cool before refueling it.
6. Refrain from turning your mower on while inside a garage, shed, structure, etc. Carbon monoxide from the mower will build up in the room and it may not take as much as you think to poison you.
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At Filer Insurance, Inc., we have been serving Miami and South Florida since 1919. We specialize in miami home insurance as well as miami auto insurance, miami life insurance and miami business insurance. Please give us a call at 305-270-2100, visit our website or come by our office for a free miami home insurance quote.
