Boston health officials are spreading the word about a window guard program to help keep kids safe as the weather turns warmer.
Last summer, a 4-year-old boy fell from a window on the top floor of an apartment building in Dorchester, and the young child died a week later.
The Boston Public Health Commission over the weekend touted its partnership program for window guards.
“BPHC has partnered up with Boston Building Resources to provide Boston residents with window guards,” the Boston Public Health Commission tweeted on Sunday. “Window guards are the best way to prevent window falls.”
“Window falls can cause serious injuries or death, but they are completely preventable,” reads BPHC’s website. “Our partnership with Boston Building Resources makes window guards affordable for Boston residents.”
Falls are the leading cause of injury to children ages 5 and under, according to the city’s health commission. A child can fall out of a window with as little as 2 inches of clearance.
Window guards are aluminum or steel bars with a maximum 4-inch spacing, which are installed in the bottom half of a double hung window.
Window screens are designed to keep bugs out, and they’re not strong enough to prevent a window fall. Guards are designed to withstand 150 pounds of pressure.
People can call Boston Building Resources at 617-442-2262 to buy window guards. Window guards are available at a discounted rate for Boston residents, landlords, and developers. Window guards are also available to residents outside the city of Boston but without a city discount.
Boston Housing Authority residents can call the BHA Work Order Center at 617-988-4357 to request window guards.
For more information about the program, visit the “Window Falls Prevention” section of the Boston Public Health Commission website.
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