Survival Skills
Our nation is coming up on 21 weeks since the pandemic caused a mass shutdown. During this time, the message has been clear – protect yourself and others. This week I am going to focus on personal protection measures that you can put in place to keep you and your family safe.
Practice Makes Perfect
In an emergency, the best thing that you can do is remain calm and not panic. Easier said than done, right? I agree – which is why I recommend practicing for emergencies with your family. It might sound silly, but hear me out.
The reason why schools have fire drills is to prepare children to react in an emergency. Outside of school should be no different. Sit down with your whole family to develop a plan on what to do during an emergency. You can identify different exit points from each room in your house and perform a test where each family member safely exits the home. You can also practice situations that don’t require leaving the house immediately. Make it a game. Consider setting up a code word that when said, everyone knows to go to a designated “safe zone” immediately. This is an especially good plan for getting young children to react quickly; if you do need to exit the home, you may do so faster and without worrying about missing family members.
Prevention
Maintain your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This means changing batteries regularly. It is advised to replace batteries during daylight saving time. I’ll be the first to admit that the super-sensitive smoke detectors that were placed feet away from my kitchen stove irritate me. They go off with any hint of smoke – so using the broiler can be off-limits. That being said, I am thankful for every smoke detector in my home. It is important to have smoke alarms on each floor of your house, particularly near sleeping areas. It only takes a few minutes for a house fire to become deadly.
Safety First
If you are traveling with children, be sure to take a picture upon arrival. If they become lost during the day, you can share exactly how they look and what they were wearing. For younger children, it is helpful to write your phone number on their hand and apply a coat of liquid bandage to the top. This creates a barrier so that the number will not come off, and if separated from you, they can easily provide your cell phone number to an adult.
Prepare
You don’t have to have a panic room or “doomsday-prepper” bunker to prepare for an emergency. Maintaining a small “Go Bag” with essentials is probably all that you need. Consider keeping one in an easily accessible place in your home as well as one in your car. You might want to include a change of clothes, blanket, battery operated radio, lantern, matches, a first aid kit or first aid supplies, bottled water, and non-perishable food. Don’t forget to restock as needed. Make sure your children know what each item is, why it is in the bag, and how the items are used so they know how to react in an emergency.
Life-Saving Techniques
If the worst should happen and you need to save a life (yours or someone else’s), you’ll need to react quickly. In a true emergency, DIAL 9-1-1.
If you are choking:
Try to cough vigorously to dislodge the food.
If that doesn’t work, you will need to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
If you are alone and are unable to properly perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself, you may need to forcefully thrust your abdomen into the edge of a table or fall onto a low chair. You will probably break a rib, but it may be necessary to save your life.
You are in a car accident:
Turn off the engine and put the hazard lights on if possible.
If anyone in the car is unresponsive, check to see if they are breathing.
If there are injuries, stay as still as possible. *If there is an immediate threat to the person’s life (fire or explosion), move them out of harm's way.
You can apply a tourniquet to severe bleeding. In a pinch, a belt or piece of clothing can be used as a makeshift tourniquet.
The emergency dispatcher may need to walk you through performing resuscitation.
If you are trapped alone in a car, you can use the metal pegs on the headrest to break the window from the inside. You can also invest in a car escape tool, which allows you to break window glass and cut through jammed seatbelts.
I hope that after reading this, you feel more prepared to take on an emergency. What other tips and tricks do you have to share? Leave a comment below, or email me directly. If I use your idea in a future Blog, you can receive $10.
Stay safe.
Krista Kyte is a personal finance blogger and personal banker with over 17 years of experience in the financial industry. Krista is passionate about helping our members understand their financial situations. She writes tips that will help consumers reach and maintain financial security, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.
