It is always good to know how to react if you find yourself in an emergency situation. We have experienced situations that required action in the last few months and we thought it would be a good idea to help you prepare. Check out the tips below to help you know how to react if you find yourself faced with an emergency:
If someone has an accident, there are some things you can do to help.
1. Even if you are scared, try to remain calm. Staying calm will help you plan how you react and also help keep the injured person calm. If you freak out, they will probably freak out too.
2. Consider the situation, do you need to call 911? If you do, you will need to know the address or general location of the emergency. When the 911 operator answers, be prepared to tell them your name, where you are, and what happened. The operator may give you instructions and/or ask you to stay on the phone with them while they send help.
3. If you are inside and help is on the way, make sure to unlock the door. Police, Firemen and Paramedics will need to enter the building in order to help.
4. If you can’t call 911, see if there is someone nearby to go get help. Feel free to yell to get attention. Make sure to yell loud!
5. If someone has fallen, ask them to remain where they are until help comes. Attempting to move the injured person could hurt them further.
6. If someone is bleeding, try to find a towel or bandage, or even a shirt to hold to the place that is bleeding. Attempt to get help immediately. If the wound is on their arm or leg, you can elevate the area to help slow the bleeding until help arrives.
7. In case of a minor burn, warm water can be run over the area, burn ointment can be applied and a bandage. Initiate getting help as soon as possible. Burns can be very serious and can need additional attention by medical professionals.
8. Whenever you or a friend is hurt, always let an adult know. Even if you think it is not a serious injury, it could need more attention to prevent any additional issues or infections. An adult can review what happened and decide if the injured person needs to go to see a doctor.
Fire Safety
Tips:
Don’t ever play with matches or a lighter. Doing so is very dangerous because it could cause you to get hurt or for a fire to accidentally get started.
Ask your family where the fire extinguisher is and how to use it. If you see a very small fire, knowing how to use a fire extinguisher can help you quickly put out the flames and keep the fire from spreading.
Ask your family when new batteries were put in the smoke detectors. Changing the batteries during the changes for daylight savings time is a good way to make sure that there is always a working set in the detector.
Ask your family if you can practice regular fire drills. If there is a fire, everyone in the house should know what to do and where to go. This includes knowing where all exits are and picking a place outside your house that is a safe distance away from the building where everyone will meet.
If you suspect the building you are in has caught fire:
Always attempt to leave the building in the safest way possible.
If the door is shut to the room you are in, feel the door before you open it. If it is warm, there could be a fire on the other side and opening it could cause it to spread quicker. Look for another way to exit, such as a window.
When moving through the building to the exit, stay low to the ground. Smoke will rise, so staying low to the ground will make it
easier to breath cleaner air while you are moving towards an exit.
If anything you are wearing catches on fire, drop to the ground and roll to put out any flames.