PSA: You Must Secure Your Bounce House
Bouncing houses – what a gift. They are the real stars of children’s birthday parties (sorry birthday people), inflated miracles that bring joy, laughter, and ultimately nap. They’re also a little intimidating, as evidenced by this California jumper that hit the highway this week due to high winds. The nine-year-old boy playing inside miraculously got out in scratches and scrapes.
Almost every year, we see horrifying videos of jumping houses flying away – at a football tournament , over a forest area and on power lines . The reason is in physics. As Wired explains: “Bouncy castles are, well, bouncy castles. As soon as they hit a hump, they bounce a little in the air, and when they rise, strong gusts of wind can keep them there. Alternatively, they can start toppling over, allowing the wind to pick up from all directions. “
If you decide to purchase a bump stop, what you must do is secure it correctly. According to the sergeant. Mark Bracco of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, who spoke to the Los Angeles Times , shouldn’t just drive the stakes into the ground – strong winds can easily rip them out. Instead, Bracco advises people to weight inflatable homes with concrete buckets or five-gallon water jugs .
In addition, when wind speeds reach 13-18 mph (this is when dust and peeling paper starts to kick up), the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends blowing air out of any baffle that is not rated for wind speeds higher than 15 mph. … Some homes are rated for higher speeds, so check your owner’s manual for your model.
Be sure to take other precautions when releasing children in an inflatable house (castle, pirate ship, or shark mouth). Tell jumpers to remove all jewelry, glasses, and other hard objects before entering, and make sure everyone in the jump room is the same size and weight. Sorry grown-up Ted, but you gotta get out of there.