Summertime is the perfect season to enjoy a picnic outdoors and spend quality time with family and friends. And many might be looking forward to family gatherings, picnics and, of course, fireworks on the Fourth of July. No matter how you celebrate the Fourth of July this year, we want it to be memorable for all the right reasons. Learn how to keep picnic food safe, stay safe in the sun and use fireworks properly with these helpful tips.
Food Safety Tips – Keep uncooked food and leftovers cool to avoid risk of food poisoning. Keep raw meat and seafood chilled in a refrigerator or an insulated cooler packed with ice until you’re ready to fire up the grill.
Divide any leftovers into covered, shallow containers and refrigerate them within two hours of cooking or one hour if it’s hotter than 90F outside, the CDC advises. Throw away any remaining perishable food that can’t be refrigerated.
Keep Your Hands Clean – Wash your hands before handling any food and especially after touching raw meat or seafood. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Wash all work surfaces and utensils and use a wet cloth or paper towel to clean the grill before cooking.
Stay Safe in the Sun – Stay in the shade as much as possible, especially during the middle of the day, by using an umbrella or sitting under a tree or other shelter. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher on all parts of exposed skin. Reapply at least every two hours and after sweating, swimming or toweling off.
Enjoy Fireworks from Afar – The best way to stay safe is to let professionals handle the fireworks and attend a public display, if available in your area. Check your local state and county reopening guidelines before heading to a group event, as some celebrations have been canceled this year.
If you’re planning to buy fireworks for personal use, keep your family safe by heeding these tips from the CPSC:
Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or lighting them.
Avoid buying fireworks packaged in brown paper, since that may indicate they were intended for professional use and may pose a danger to consumers.
Always have an adult supervise.
Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose ready.
Light fireworks one at a time and move back quickly.
Never relight or pick up any fireworks that do not light properly.
Never point or throw fireworks at other people.
Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them from metal or glass containers.
When it’s finished burning, prevent a garbage fire by dousing a used firework with lots of water from the bucket or hose before throwing it away.
These tips, provided by our research partner, AdventHealth, are available to you and others in the Lake Nona community to help make positive impacts on our health.
Another way you can make a difference is by taking the Lake Nona Life Project survey. We can’t do it alone. We need partners like you. Take the survey today.