What Would You Do?
By villageanne
@villageanne (8553)
United States
November 16, 2007 11:21pm CST
In time of an emergency, could you do basic first aid and CPR if needed? Would you know how to deliver a baby if you could not get to a hospital? Today, we all depend on medical personal to help us when there is a medical emergency but what if you could not get to the hospital? There are some wonderful resources online and off to help you learn to do many things to care for your family or neighbors in case of a medical emergency. It is much easier if you learn now before the need arrives.
There is a free downloadable book called “Where there is no Doctor”. It has some wonderful information on basic medical problems.
http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download.php
The American Red Cross offers Standard First Aid and CPR (SFA/CPR) classes. There is a fee for these classes but it is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you get from knowing how to save a life. Do you think you know enough about CPR? Take the American Red Cross quiz on CPR. They also have quizzes on water safety and lightening.
http://www.redcross.org/services/youth/izone/quizzes.html
The American Heart Association has some wonderful information on their site about heart attacks including the warning signs. They have information on other diseases also.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
Would you like to learn CPR but can not attend a class? Try learning here
http://depts.washington.edu/learncpr/
We often think that we will not need to know these skills but as we saw during the New Orleans Tragedy, we may not have help arrive as soon as we need them. We may have to depend on our own skills and those of our neighbors.
Do you know your neighbor’s skills?
Who had a power saw if the road it blocked?
Who knows SFA/CPR?
Who has a ham radio to get help if the phone lines are down?
Who has food stored to help other’s survive?
Do you have more than a couple weeks of food stored in your home?
Who has major medical problems and may need your help?
Who has a tool to turn off the water and/or gas?
Do you know how to turn off water and/or gas?
Does your family know how to turn off the power if needed?
Where can you stay if your home is flooded or as a result of a landslide?
These are just a few of the questions to ask yourself. Many communities pool together the talents of those in the community by passing list around and each family post their talents or preparations. When tragedy hits, everyone knows who can help and what they can do. Are you really prepared for such a tragedy? This is not intended to scare you but to help you realize the real need to be prepared before you need to use it.
3 people like this
10 responses
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
17 Nov 07
These look like some great sites that everyone needs to read and learn. I saved them all and added them into my favorites. Thanks a lot for adding this sites in here they all look really helpful.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
Wow you are sure getting your count right up there! 8605 - that is so cool. I am glad that you found the information helpful.
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
19 Nov 07
I have taken first aid courses and have taken cpr classes. It is required for my employment. I probably could deliver a baby if need be, but maybe I should go over to the site to check it out. You really never know when an emergency situation could arise.
You are really a big asset to this site. Your information is great and the sites that you provide links to are helpful too. Thank you.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
Thank you for the compliment. My husband is an EMT-M and he teaches SFA/CPR classes in his spare time. We try to stay prepared for anything that can happen. We have found that anything that can happen - usually will. :)
@copperkitten (3473)
• United States
17 Nov 07
Well I am a certified EMT {emergancy Medical Tecnician} I can deliver a baby if need be, I can help any wonded people, I know CPR if someone needs it ect.. As far as the questions you asked. My husband has all tools nessasary, for turning off gas lines, water, power box, ect.. I do keep alot of food in the house and would be able to feed us for a couple weeks. If something happened to our house we would go live with my mom till we could get back on our feet.
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
That is great. I am amazed how many people dont feel the need to learn SFA/CPR. My husband is an EMT-M and he teaches SFA/CPR.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
17 Nov 07
I took a St. John's Ambulance course so I know first aid, and know about heart attacks because my father had a bad heart and diabetes because it runs in the family. My husband knows about turning off the electricity and the gas line, and we have a power saw. I have food in our freezer and some packages of macaroni and cheese, but butter would go rancid and so would soft margerine, but we do have olive oil. We do not have canned veggies, except for pork and beans and chili. I have a cell phone. We do not have a bunch of carrots or turnips stored, but lots of flour, sugar, honey, and salt. So if no one finds us in time, we will be suffering from vitamin deficiency and have gained at least twenty lb. most of it on me.
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
When our power was off for over a week and in neighboring areas, it was over 2-3 weeks a few years ago, the cell phones would not work at all. We live in the county seat so we were the first ones to get power on but still it was state wide so the county with the State capital in it got priority.
It was over a week until the cell phones worked at all.
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
17 Nov 07
Yes I do know how to do CPR although I am not "certified" in it yet, same with basic first ai...bandaging, pressure, splints, etc. I can also know how to handle delivering a baby and even know what to do in certain emergency situations like cord prolapse.
*Do you know your neighbor’s skills? No I don't, we don't really have neighors very close in terms of emergency situations.
*Who had a power saw if the road is blocked? We do.
*Who knows SFA/CPR? I don't know who is certified but know people who know how.
*Who has a ham radio to get help if the phone lines are down? no idea, no one nearby as far as I know
*Who has food stored to help other’s survive? Do you have more than a couple weeks of food stored in your home? Yes we do have several weeks worth.
*Who has major medical problems and may need your help? No one that I know of.
*Who has a tool to turn off the water and/or gas? Do you know how to turn off water and/or gas? We do no have public water and we do not use gas service.
*Does your family know how to turn off the power if needed? To the house yes, to the pole I don't.
*Where can you stay if your home is flooded or as a result of a landslide? We are at the top of the hill so flooding wouldn't be an issue, neither would a landslide because of our location.
Thanks for sharing, I'll have to put some thought into other emergencies that may apply to us and make sure we have a plan to handle them. I do know that a fire could be an issue because the only phones are located n the house and cell service is spotty here. The neighbors are a fair distance away to walk/run if we were unable to get to our car keys.
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
Sounds like you are on your way to being prepared. We was driving from down south up north to get home one fall day. We hit a major ice and snow storm. I was amazed at the amount of people that was stuck in the rest stops without a blanket or anything. Thankfully we had our 72 hour kit with us.
@helenstamina (31)
• China
17 Nov 07
Wow,thank you for sharing these useful information to us! I hope I know what I will do when I come across an emergencey and perform the CPR to the patient and save his or her life by myself!
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
I am glad that you found the information helpful. I am a firm believer in being prepared for emergencies.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
Thank you for missing me. :) I have missed you too. Glad to see you and I hope you can use the information.
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
17 Nov 07
I would know how to do CPR on a person today only because I was there when a friend of mine had a heart attack and I was taking directions from the emergency operator on what to do to try and save my friend but unfortunately there was nothing that could be done for my friend, so I think it is a good idea for people to learn before these things happen...for lifes sake learn......
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
19 Nov 07
I agree with you. My husband teaches SFA/CPR and it amazes me how many people dont feel the need to take the class. I hope they never need to know how to save someones life.
@raijin (10345)
• Philippines
19 Nov 07
I have trained on dealing with these types of emergencies and situations, I have certifications on elementary first for rendering CPR and AR for victims.
My job specifications requires these types of emergency procedures, since we work way out from land. By working on vessels, we always make sure that all of us crew are able and knowledgeable of saving lives since doctor's are not available right on the very moment an accident or emergency might occur.
But I do hope that my knowledge and skills on saving lives won't be put to test just because of an accident, though I remember my uncle who did used it and was given credit for saving a young boy's life..
