Have you ever imagined yourself as a fighter pilot, an earthquake survivor, or someone sifting through the rubble in a war zone?
Obsessive reader that I was as a child, I 'lived' through wars and other historic events many, many times. In my mind's eye I was not one of the hysterical masses running around in blind panic. Instead, I was calm, unhurt and unhurried, heroically dealing with the injured and helpless.
These days I am more realistic and am aware that I could well be hopeless should a real disaster strike. For example, despite having done several first aid courses over the years I'm not sure that I would remember how to perform CPR.
Only because I looked it up 5 minutes ago do I remember what DR ABC means:
DANGER
A few weeks ago my little first-grade son learnt a really useful acronym for young children in an emergency.
SQUEEZE AND SHOUT
C Can you hear me?
O Open your eyes?
W What's your name?
S Squeeze my hands.
All my children were taught the triple 0 emergency number (911 in the US) at a young age. We also taught them to 'stop, drop and roll' and never to hide if caught in a fire (even if they caused it). We never lock our doors in a way that would prevent our younger kids from getting out of the house in an emergency.
One thing we still need to do at our new house is plan a fire drill, with several possible escape routes and a meeting place outside.
What skills have you taught your children for coping in an emergency?
image is courtesy of www.allposters.com
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