Have you begun talking to your kids about how to handle an emergency? While kids can’t be expected to respond to a crisis in an adult way, there are basic tasks they can do that could turn out to be life-saving.
By Hinda Mandell
Last fall, 2-year-old Alana Miller made national headlines when she managed to pick up the phone, dial 911, and summon help by repeatedly saying, “Mommy owie” after her mother passed out from a severe migraine. Erika Miller, a Red Cross volunteer in Washington State, had shown the toddler what to do if there was ever a “big owie,” but she was amazed that her child rose to the occasion.
Have you begun talking to your kids about how to handle an emergency? Needham, Massachusetts Police Lt. John Schlittler says children as young as age 3 or 4 can be taught about dialing 911. The American Red Cross targets injury prevention and first-aid to kids ages 5 to 8 in their First Aid for Children Today (F.A.C.T.) program.
While kids can’t be expected to respond to a crisis in an adult way, there are basic tasks they can do that could turn out to be life-saving. Take the time to discuss emergency preparedness with your family, coaching kids on safe behavior and injury prevention as well as dealing with the unexpected. Teach your kids what to do in situations when they or their friends run into trouble and parents aren’t around to help.
Schlittler recommends downplaying the urgency of a potential future emergency when talking to kids about what they can do.
"The prospect of a situation in which a child might have to take action for his or her safety and those around him will be scary," he says. "Talk down to their level so they understand. Don’t act dramatic."
Parental Prep
When it comes to your child’s safety, you are the best role model, says Cindy Ventura, the nurse at Coolidge Middle School in Reading. Acting calm in a crisis can set the stage for children to handle emergencies when left unsupervised. Here are several ways to prepare them for what might happen:
Explain 911 Calls. Kate Cronan, medical editor for www.KidsHealth.org, a popular Web site for children’s health information, recommends that parents teach their kids to call 911 for an emergency (fires, robberies, serious medical concerns) rather than try to call a parent on a cell phone. After dialing 911 to get help, kids can then call parents.
In dialing 911, children will be expected to know their full address and be able to explain what has happened. They should be prepared to stay on the line long enough to answer all the questions they are asked. Although a call can be traced, the approximate location that shows up at the receiving center could be as large as three football fields. Place a note by the phone with your address and phone number to help children remember. Teach your kids to know the address when visiting a friend or a relative, in the event of an emergency.
Emphasize that kids should never even think about dialing 911 as a joke. In Massachusetts alone, an estimated 1. 8. million wireless calls and 1.5 million wire line calls are made to 911 each year. The wireless 911 center in Framingham Mass. reports that more than 300,000 calls a year are not for real emergencies and many are abusive.
Practice "What-If" Situations. Ask questions to help your kids prepare for emergencies when they’re on their own.
"If you smell smoke in the house, if someone keeps ringing the doorbell, if the power goes out, what would you do?" Cronan says. “These are things that have to be talked about.” Go through an emergency drill, too. Ventura encourages parents to review emergency exit instructions, in the event of fire, and to establish a family meeting place, by a favorite tree, for instance.
Teach Prevention. The most common ailment that brings children to the emergency room is injury from falls, says Lois Lee, M.D., director of the Injury Prevention Program at Children’s Hospital Boston. The second most common is injury from motor vehicle crashes – the No. 1 cause of death among kids in the United States. There are two “always” that should be observed, Lee says: Always wear a helmet when biking, skateboarding or rollerblading, and always wear a seatbelt when in the car.
Be Prepared. Post emergency phone numbers on the refrigerator or where they can be easily seen. Include 911, and numbers for the doctor, parents’ cell phones and close neighbors. List any special medical conditions, such as asthma and allergies, and instructions for what a child should do if he is having an asthmatic attack or allergic reaction and a parent isn’t home. Buy a first-aid kit or assemble your own with antiseptic ointment, bandages and gauze pads, tweezers and Band-Aids® in various sizes. Include instant cold packs, or keep an ice pack in the freezer. Talk with your kids about when to use each item and keep everything where they can find it. Child health experts recommend that teens learn CPR around age 15, younger if they plan on babysitting.
Emphasize the Rules. "The most important thing for a child’s safety and well-being is to follow the rules laid out by the parents," says Cronan. Children should not answer the front door when home alone, and parents should lock up alcohol, medications and guns, she says. Other rules can be made on a case-by-case basis. Decide, for example, whether kids will be allowed to play on the Internet, cook or have friends over when home alone. For more information on safety and first -aid, visit:American Red Cross - Offers classes for kids and teens, including Babysitter Training and Basic Aid Training for ages 8-10.
Hinda Mandell is a freelance writer from Needham, Massachusetts.First published in the Boston Parents Paper, May 2008
|
