With many Okotokians leaving windows and balcony doors open to cool their homes down this time of year, EMS is reminding us of the safety risk it may pose to children.

According to Stuart Brideaux, EMS public education officer for the Calgary zone, they've already responded to a few calls of children falling from windows or balconies and could see up to 20 calls for Calgary and the surrounding area.

Brideaux has a few tips to help prevent children from falling.

"Look at what you can do to eliminate access to windows, so have a look at furniture and move anything out from underneath that could be climbed on to access it, also be aware of floor level windows," he says. "The second thing is to, regardless of if there's a screen or not, see if you can ensure that a safety device is installed to prevent it from opening greater than 10 centimetres or four inches."

He shares children should be educated to not lean on window and door screens as they're not created to withstand any amount of weight and will give way.

Brideaux adds one of the best forms of safety for children is direct supervision.

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