Stay safe this summer. Make sure you know the five water safety skills, designate a water-watcher when kids are swimming, know the signs of heat exhaustion and more.

Kaz Fantone/NPR

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Kaz Fantone/NPR

Stay safe this summer. Make sure you know the five water safety skills, designate a water-watcher when kids are swimming, know the signs of heat exhaustion and more.

Kaz Fantone/NPR

Think about all the things we do during the summer. We go outside more. We jump into bodies of open water. We bake under the hot sun. We light fires and cook over them.

This stuff is all fun, of course, but it’s also risky.

Spare a moment to think about your safety this season, won’t you? Here’s how to protect yourself against drowning, heat exhaustion, tick bites and more.

Learn these 5 water safety skills 

Reported by Marielle Segarra 

According to the American Red Cross, at a minimum, everyone should know these five basic water safety skills.

First, make sure you are comfortable with jumping into water, submerging yourself completely and bringing yourself to the surface. Once you’ve returned to the surface, you should be able to float or tread water for one minute. When treading water, stay relaxed so you don’t overexert yourself.

From there, you’ll want to be able to turn around in a full circle and find an exit. Knowing how to get out of the water is “just as important as getting into the water,” says Cullen Jones, an Olympic gold medalist swimmer and a water safety advocate.

Next, you should be able to swim 25 yards to an exit without stopping. You can use whichever stroke you’re comfortable with. Jones adds that most pools in the U.S. are 25 yards.

Finally, make sure you can exit the pool or body of water without a ladder. Jones used the phrase “elbow, elbow, tummy, knee, knee” to teach his 3-year-old son this skill. (For more tips on how to become a strong swimmer, click here.) 

Designate a “water-watcher” to prevent drowning

Reported by Marielle Segarra 

A designated “water-watcher” is an adult who is responsible for monitoring the water and the kids in it.

To take on this role, the water-watcher should be sober and focused. They should also have their phone nearby in case they need to call 911. After a set period of time, like 15 minutes, rotate water-watchers. It’s also helpful if they know CPR and have a flotation device they can use in a rescue. (Take our quiz to test how much you know about kids and water safety.) 

Know the signs of heat exhaustion 

Reported by Clare Marie Schneider 

If you’re out with a group of friends on a hot day, keep an eye on each other, looking for signs of illness. “Somebody may notice something in you that you don’t notice,” says Dr. Renee Salas, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School.