LYNN — First responders in the city offered parents a few suggestions to help prevent kids from falling out of windows.
“We want to stress to parents there are very simple steps to safeguard kids,” said District Fire Chief Stephen Archer.
The warning comes days after Adrial Britto was seriously injured after he fell 22-feet from a third-story window on Saratoga Street. Firefighters said the 18-month-old was conscious when they arrived and rushed him to Massachusetts General Hospital with severe injuries.
A hospital spokeswoman said she did not have any information on the child’s condition.
The National Safety Council reports more than 3,300 children are injured seriously enough to go to the hospital annually in the U.S. In Lynn, it happens about twice a year. The most common victims are kids under 5 who fall out of an open, screened bedroom window from the second or third floor.
Archer’s first piece of advice is not to depend on screens to keep kids safe.
“The screens are there to keep bugs out, not to keep kids in,” he said. “A window screen is no match for a curious toddler who is pushing against it.”
Some of the newer vinyl windows come with locking tabs already installed than can be set to keep the window from opening beyond more than four inches.
Another option is to open the window from the top, keeping the lower portion closed and children at bay.
There are several inexpensive metal window security guards sold at home improvement stores. Archer suggested they purchase ones that have an emergency release latch in case of fire. For $3, metal stops that are easily installed to keep the window from opening beyond a few inches.
He also recommends parents to keep furniture away from windows.
Young children are very active, Archer said, and keeping eyes on them at all times is impossible.
“Our goal is to keep children safe,” he said.
