By:  Rob Baquera, Roseville Police Department, Public Information Officer

Summer has arrived. School has ended and the summer activities have begun. As kids are home for summer and vacation plans are being made, there are some safety issues to be considered.

Here are simple steps you can take to protect your home if you are out and about, on a getaway weekend, or on an extended vacation.

• Use a home monitoring system, either one monitored by a private company or security cameras linked up to an app that you can monitor yourself.
• Have a friend or neighbor check on your home while you are gone.
• Lock-up your home, and close your blinds to avoid prying eyes.
• An outdoor motion sensor light can be a simple and affordable deterrent.
• Keep up regular maintenance (e.g., landscaper or pool cleaner).  Thieves tend to notice when something is off or irregular.
• Set-up a mail hold at the post office.  Also, your newspaper carrier should be able to stop deliveries while you’re gone.  Newspapers in your driveway are often a dead giveaway that someone isn’t home.

Other safety considerations are not leaving children and pets in vehicles in the summer heat. A quick stop at the store can be a dangerous hazard for young children or pets.  It is illegal to leave a child 6 years old or younger unattended in a motor vehicle. However, the child may be left under the supervision of a person 12 years old or older (CVC §15620). After sitting in the sun, even if a window is slightly opened, the temperature can rise rapidly inside a parked vehicle.  Dehydration, heat stroke, and death can result from overexposure to the heat.  California Penal Code §597.7 prohibits leaving or confining an animal in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat.

A simple habit to practice year-round is to always check the front and backseats when you exit your vehicle. Even the best parent or caretaker may overlook a quiet or sleeping baby in the car, but checking your vehicle before walking away can ensure that no child is left unattended.  Look before you lock and leave.

If you see a young child alone in a vehicle on a hot day, call 911 immediately. If the child is in distress, try to get the child out as quickly as possible and work to cool the child quickly while waiting for first responders to arrive.

By taking steps to protect your home and being cautious when children or pets are in your car, you can sit back and enjoy all that summertime offers.