Celebrating Independence Day is a great way to bring the community together to celebrate our freedom and take advantage of great weather and summer in general. While celebrating the fourth can be a lot of fun, you need to have guidelines in place to keep your residents safe. Be sure to share the following tips with your residents to ensure everyone has a fun and safe holiday weekend.
Fireworks
A few weeks ago, we shared statistics about the dangers of firework usage. Due to the risks of injury and fire, it’s recommended that you ban fireworks in your community. Many cities have firework bans in place, so it’s important to remind your residents of these rules. Be sure to let residents know the dangers, as well as the fines and possible legal consequences of using them within the community.
Pool
The community pool is a favorite hangout spot the day of the fourth. Chances are, your community has fun events planned at the pool to keep families entertained. Be sure to remind residents of the safety rules at the pool, and of any restrictions you have around guest attendance and age restrictions. It’s a good idea to remind residents about banned substances at the pool, like alcohol and outside food, for example.
BBQ
Does your community have shared spaces with BBQs? If so, be sure to remind residents of the rules around BBQ usage. If reservations are required, send out a notice as soon as possible to ensure those planning to use them on the fourth can reserve their spot. If you have time limits during busy season, be sure to include that as well. Also, it’s always a good idea to remind residents of safety rules when using the BBQ, such as age restrictions for grilling and that grills must never be left unsupervised.
Drinking
Did you know that more beer is sold on the 4th of July than any other holiday? Yes, that means July 4th beats out St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve! The unfortunate fact is that with the increased alcohol consumption brings with it more drunk drivers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, July 4th is the worst day of the year for fatal car crashes. Remind residents of the importance of celebrating safely and that there’s zero tolerance for drunk driving in and outside of the community.
On-Call Team
While no one will likely be in the office on the fourth, it’s important to remind residents that you have a team on-call in case of emergencies. Remind residents of the best way to get in touch with your on-call team. If you have certain processes in place for submitting work order requests, be sure to remind residents of this as well. As always, it never hurts to share the phone number for the local non-emergency line, as well as highlight instances where it does make sense to call the police.
For more tips on providing an excellent resident experience in your community, download our six-step guide!
