Stay safe: Talk to your children about the dangers of open windows

South Florida Sun-Sentinel (MCT) - With cooler weather hitting even the warmest climates, many families are keeping their windows and balcony doors open to let in the fresh air.

But caution is needed in households with small children who can easily tumble out of the window because they are curious, top-heavy and don't understand the risks of falling from heights.

Safety professionals warn that parents and other caregivers should not rely on window screens to keep a child from falling out of a window. Instead, experts recommend installing measures such as window guards. Some people use burglar bars, which firefighters do not recommend because they can slow down or prevent escape from a fire.

Bug screens, they said, offer a false sense of security and can easily give way to the weight of a small child.

Hollywood, Fla., Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Mark Steele said that parents and caregivers should educate kids about the dangers of open windows.

"Go over the dangers of those areas with them," he said. "(Tell them), 'This is for letting the air in, not for you to be standing on it.' And teach them not to lean against it. In fact, show them how easy it is for them to fall through if they lean against it."

"A window screen is not meant to be a safety barrier of any kind," said Steve Lewis, Boynton Beach, Fla., Fire-Rescue spokesman. "Anyone who has ever taken the palm of their hand and leaned or pushed on a screen can see how easily it gives. Just imagine if it was the weight of a child. They could easily fall through."

An average of 25 toddlers per year died after falling out of windows between 2002 and 2004, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In April and May this year, 18 children fell out of windows, including two who died, prompting the organization to issue new safety standards to help parents protect their children from such falls. The standards assure that window guards are strong enough, yet can be opened easily for escape in case of fire.

"Parents need to be aware," said Arlene Flecha, a commission spokeswoman. "Safety needs to be at the top of the minds of people who care for children."

Flecha urged parents to keep furniture away from windows, install locks that keep windows from opening more than 4 inches and to open windows from the top, rather than the bottom, whenever possible.

"Keep anything that the child might climb up on _ a bed, a toy, a bench or a table _ from windows," she said. "Anything that a parent or caregiver can do to ensure the safety of a child is paramount to anything else that they could be doing in the home."

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Although the safety guards can be a headache during a fire if they are improperly installed and maintained, they are necessary because screens do not prevent a child's fall, safety experts said.

Above all, safety officials say, keep a watchful eye on kids.

"Don't let babies out of your sight," Palm Beach, Fla., County Fire-Rescue Capt. Don DeLucia said. "Keep them nearby always. Be safety conscious first before you let something distract you."

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© 2008, Sun Sentinel.