With young children home for the summer, reminding them to “play it safe” around electricity is a must.

Warm summer days mean children will be spending a lot of time outdoors. Youngsters need to be reminded that electricity is a powerful, yet easily harmful energy.

“Big problems come from young children being unsupervised,” said Joseph Jones, DeKalb assistant fire chief.

Children should be told to watch out for places of danger within their own neighborhood. These areas include transmission towers, substations, utility poles, distribution wires, behind large buildings, around trains, and any area marked “high voltage.”

“Children should avoid flying kites around power lines,” Jones said. Power lines should also be avoided if climbing, tree trimming or fruit picking.

Young children should also be encouraged to stay away from trees during electrical storms because tall objects and wet wood attract vast amounts of lightning.

A tip for everyone is to watch out for overhead wires when carrying ladders, metal pipes or other long objects.