Handling Emergencies

It is a must that every house has a first-air box. It is imperative that this box is not kept locked in a cupboard. Keys are the worst things to find in an emergency. It is also important that all people in ath house be given a basic training in first-aid.

Important phone numbers of all members of the household police, doctor, hospital, ambulance, fire-brigade, relatives and friends and immediate neighbours should be readily available.

When people from one state or country move to another, it is likely that the family members may not know the language of the adopted place. If this is the case, they will not be able to talk to the neighbours or the police. In such cases, they should rehearse a few phrases to use in an emergency so as to be able to give the person at the other end of the telephone line some idea of the emergency situation, the location of the house, and also say that the caller cannot answer any questions since he does not know the language. It would be ideal if some mock exercises are conducted as  to how to make an emergency phone call during a hypothetical emergency situation.

Everyone in the house should know what to do should someone get hurt. The injuries can be of several types: burns, electric shock, accidental poisoning, drug overdose, cuts by sharp-edged items, fall resulting in a fracture, heart attack epileptic attack, etc.

One should know who to contact (doctor, hospital, etc) in case of an emergency, and other preliminary steps to be taken. These steps would of course depend upon the extent of the injury as well as the experience of the rescuer. One should also know what to do if the phone does not work, if the doctor is away etc. All the steps should be reviewed after they have been used to handle an emergency, and any shortfalls removed.

Minimum essential information about each person in the household should be kept handy. It should be kept in the wallet/purse of the person, in the house, office, and with the family doctor. This should include the names of medication being taken regularly, the disease (diabetes, heart problems, etc.) one might be suffering from, blood group, allergies, any special conditions, etc.

Fire Hazards

Fire safety features have to be strictly designed into buildings especially high-rise ones. Hence, architects, structural engineers, construction people, interior designers, city authorities, and the owners of buildings should all be interested in precautions against fire. They should follow all the applicable building codes and approved practices.

The ever-increasing incidences of fires in multi-storeyed buildings are a dangerous trend.

A house has a lot of inflammable items in the form of gas, liquids and solids. Some of these are cooking gas, matchboxes, gasoline or petrol,  kerosene, nail polish remover, paints and thinners, furniture polish and wax, cigarette lighter fuel, oil, any kind of plastic, clothes, especially synthetic ones, rugs, upholstered furniture, wood paneling etc.

The above list is not an exhaustive one but it should give an idea that, except for concrete and metal, the rest can catch fire easily. One should, therefore, take all the necessary steps to avoid fires, detect them, fight them, and escape from them safely should the need arise.

The safety nuggets given below will help reduce the chances of fire and also in fighting a fire should one break out.

Fire in the kitchen

Do not store cookies,  candy etc, above the cooking range or stove. Children will try to get them even if the stove is hot and in use. They are likely to get burnt.

Do not use the oven for storing pans containing oil leftover after being used for frying or for storing of utensils. It is very likely that someone will turn the oven on to warm it without first looking inside to check for the stored items. This may cause a fire.

Inflammable items

Inflammable liquids cardboard boxes, rags etc, should be stored away from heaters, furnaces, cooking ranges, stoves, and even from direct sunlight.

Do not use or store aerosol cans near open flames or near a source of heat, including sunlight. The increased pressure in the can due to the heat-induced expansion of the gas inside will result in an explosive rupture, throwing pieces all around. This could hurt people and property, and the contents of the ruptured can, if not puncture or incinerate an aerosol container even when empty since some amount of gas will always be there.

Do not let drapes, furniture, newspapers, other reading material that are combustible near the stove or near an electric room heater. Ensure that even a breeze cannot bring any of these near an open fire or a very hot surface.

Cigarettes

Do you know that the temperature in a cigarette can be over 900°C and where a puff us drawn (which brings in the air), it can shoot upto 1200°C. Such a high temperature can ignite most of the materials and hence, one should be extremely careful about the disposal of cigarette butts. Even guests should be requested not to smoke in bed.

Keep cigarette lighters and matchboxes out of reach of children. They may be tempted to try to use them. This may cause a serious fire in the house, or the child’s clothes may catch fire causing serious burns. If there are smokers in the family, then one has to be more careful as not to leave lighters and matches in the bathroom, living room, bedrooms, etc. within the easy reach of children.

Upholstered Furniture

 If possible, select non-flammable fabric for upholstered furniture and curtains. Place the upholstered furniture away from the sources of heat.

Electric cords should go underneath furniture since any damage to the cord can cause short-circuit fire or give a shock.

The major cause of furniture catching fire is a smoldering cigarette or hot ash. It usually happens when the smoke is not careful, feels drowsy, or keeps an ashtray on the furniture itself. The medication may not safely dispose a cigarette butt or ash. Keep an eye on them.

Toxic gases form a furniture fire can cause suffocation. If the fire cannot be brought under control soon enough, call the fire brigade and rush outdoors.

Common Useful Precautions

If there is a fireplace or a portable electric or kerosene heater in a room, there should be a screen or barrier so that no one can directly touch the fire or the hot elements. The room heater should be so placed that no one trips over it. It should be so located that it does not get knocked over. This will cause a fire. Hence, do not place it over rugs, carpets and other such easy combustible material. Also ensure that no combustible material is so close to the heater that the material gets heated by radiation and starts to burn.

Never place oil lamps, incense sticks, candles, on or near combustible materials. These may fall down or the candle may burn down to is base and cause a fire.

Every house has Important papers and items to store such as house plans, house deeds, insurance policies, passports, cash, jewellery, adoption papers, wills, property transaction papers, bank papers, important medical documents, horoscopes, school certificates, college degrees, etc.  these  should be kept in a fireproof filing cabinet which can withstand heat from a fire for several hours. Such cabinets should also be strong enough to withstand a fall of several meters if the floor gives in.  Such papers are irreplaceable and hence the extra cost of such a filing cabinet is well justified. Duplicates of all the papers should be maintained at other premises for safety’s sake e.g. in your office, at a friend’s or relative’s house.

Fire poses a severe threat in high-rise buildings since smoke rises up and the fire spreads rather fast to the upper floors. Hence,  install smoke detectors and fire alarms on each floor.

Escape Plans

There should be an escape plan from the house in case of fire. It should take various scenarios into account in the sense that a fire could be in any one or more sections of the house simultaneously. Hence, one may need several alternate plans. Practice the plans frequently to keep everyone aware, and paste an escape plan in the guest-room as well.

Children are likely to hide under a bed, inside a closet, or in a bathroom in case of fire. They should be told that these are not safe places in such situations.

All windows and doors that have security bars should open easily from inside to provide a means of escape in case of a fire.

Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are very handy for putting out small fires. Each house should have at least one. It should be recharged as recommended by the manufacturer. No one should try to save on the cost of such recharging since a false sense of security in an antiquated fire extinguisher is worse than not having one at all.

The use of fire extinguisher should be taught and demonstrated to household personnel capable of handling such a unit which may weigh a couple of kilograms. However, if mishandled, the carbon dioxide or other gases released from a fire extinguisher can choke a person and cause significant harm.

In case of fire due to oil, grease or ghee, do not use water to put it out. Oil being lighter than water, will float over it and will continue to burn, thus spreading the fire all around. Use sand over such fires. One can also try smothering the fire with a blanket, jute bag, etc. if it is in a pan, cover the pan, thus effectively cutting out the air supply to the fire.

In case of an electric fire, cut the power supply. Then throw sand on it or use an appropriate fire extinguisher. Do not use water, it being a conductor of electricity and may electrocute people fighting the fire.

In case of a big fire, do not try to fight it regardless of its origin. Get out of the building as quickly as possible and raise the alarm. Do not try to collect your belongings. You may get trapped inside in the process as even seconds count in such a situation.

It has already been said that fire is a good servant but a bad master. Do not let it ever get out of control, even momentarily.

Remember. A minor lapse can cause loss of valuable lives, property, time and give lifelong suffering.

Electricity and fire: friends or foes ?

As we all know, electricity is a good servant but a real bad master. While it can be used to provide comfort in various ways (light, heat, cooking, transport, communications, etc), any slight misuse or carelessness is likely to cause a shock or a fire, both of which can result in serious injury or even death. While life without electricity is unthinkable, its improper use could even make you will loose your life.

                With higher standards of living and the availability of an ever-increasing number of electrical appliances that make life more comfortable, it is very likely that many households will connect more items to their electric outlets than they had envisaged at the time of the initial laying of electric wires in the house. overloading an electrical circuit is one the major fire hazards.

                Poor quality fixtures, improper maintenance and repairs can lead to electric shocks. Hence, it is prudent to put in extra-thick wire for the anticipated loads right at the beginning instead of having to suffer fires caused by short-circuiting, blown fuses, or undertaking costly wire replacements.

                Automatic circuit breakers are better than wire fuses whose effectiveness can all too easily be annulled by using a thicker wire than necessary for the specific amperage/load.

                The box containing electrical cutouts ad fuses should be easily approachable. It should not be locked. All mature members of the family should know how to use the fuse-box and what to do in times of emergency.

                Label all the fuses and circuit breakers so that the room or appliance to which each is connected is easily identifiable.

                This comes in handy during an emergency. Do not rely on your memory.

There should be a main switch for each room so that it can be used in case of an emergency. Having to run to the main switch for the entire house, which may be located on a floor other than the one where emergency has arisen, could be difficult. This could have a fatal effect because in electrical emergencies even seconds count.

Do not play with electrical switches. Some of the poorer quality ones may become loose or get broken, and when used give a shock. Any cracked, broken, or exposed switch, plug, or socket must be replaced right away.

On all electrical appliances, 3-wire plugs should be used. The electrical ground or earth should be a definitive one and not a superfluous one. With sophisticated and costly electronic items and personal computers, etc. being used these days, the need for the proper earthing has become more important.

Toys

Children need toys as much as they need parental love. However before buying a toy, some thought should be given to the kind of toy to buy, depending upon the age of the child m so that the toy will not only be fun but also be safe. Toy industry sources agree that making toys safe will not increase the cost to the consumer. What are needed are toy safety laws as well as as a consumer movement to ensure their enforcement.

All toys an play equipment must be of good quality, installed correctly and maintained properly.  Children must be taught how to use them safely.

Toy packaging should not have any staples since in the excitement of opening the packet , a child can be hurt by it. Further, a loose staple lying on the floor can injure someone’s foot. Even worse an infant may try to eat it or may put it into the eyes.

Adult should read the directions for use on all toys they buy and explain them to children.

Toy should not have any sharp edges or corners lest they hurt, cut or pierce the skin eyes , nose , ears etc. parents should check the toy cupboard periodically for broken toys which should be discarded right away.

A rusty toy should be discarded because it can cause tetanus if it cuts the skin.

No arrows, rubber, plastic balls or sparks should come out of toy-guns and pistols since they have the potential to cause grave injury, sometimes irreversible or sometimes fatal. Do not permit bows and arrows for the same reason.

Tops having sharp pointed spikes or nails can hurt a child’s eye or skin. Do not let small children play with them.

Toys should not be very small, nor have tiny removable parts that can get into the nose or ear, or be swallowed.

Do not buy toys which make a noise when shaken. They may contain small pebbles or lead shots. Should the toy break open, an infant or a toddler may try to gobble the pebbles and lead shots, and even choke on them. For the same reason the tiny tots should not be allowed to play with pebbles, marbles, coins , etc.

Make sure that the button eyes on teddy bears and dolls are not loose, if they came off, they could be swallowed by young children.

Be careful with toys that require home assembly. Ensure that a child can not disassemble them . check frequently that the nuts and screws have not loosened during play.

Electrically operated toys may give a shock if immersed in water or not handled properly. Instead buy those that work on batteries.

Small children love to wrap things around their necks. Toys with long strings may cause the strangulation of a child in some unexpected situations.

The paints and coatings on toys should not contain any dangerous chemicals. Some of the chemicals to be avoided are: ammonium nitrate, asbestos, lithium hydroxide, copper sulphate, selenium, chromium, barium , mercury , and all lead-based chemicals

If a toy is such that a child will be tempted to stand on it, whether or not the toy is meant for this purpose, rest assured that he will try to stand on it! If it is an unstable toy , the child will fall etc. Sometimes, if a toy , a table or a chair is close to a window, it might entice a child to step on it to see the view outside. This may lead to a fall from the window. Such items should not be left near windows, or the windows should be kept locked or have grills/panes.

Teach older children to keep toys meant for them away from the younger ones. Encourage children to check and correct each other when unsafe measures are adopted at play. They can exchange their experiences and help each other.

Buy only those toys that are not hazardous for even the youngest member of the family.

Do not let your children use low profile riding toys such as plastic tricycles outside the house since these are too low to be seen approaching cars. The plastic design also makes for poor traction, thus making the tricycle hard to man oeuvre or stop.

Skateboards excite a lot of youngsters but they generally do not know how to use them safely. A lot of accidents are caused by these. Proper protective equipment (noon-slip shoes, hip, elbow and knee padding, helmet, special gloves, padded jackets) should be used.

All outdoor play equipment should be kept in good shape. This applies to swings , slides, see-saws, merry-go-rounds, etc. These should not be rusted, nor should have sharp edges or corners, etc. The safe use of such equipment should be taught to children.

Games of toys should be stored safely. Ideally, the storage chest should have no lid. If it must have one, a sliding lid that will not cover a child if he falls into the chest, or one whose cover will remain open in any position, is preferable. The chest should have ventilation holes that will not be blocked if it is placed next to a wall. These holes can provide life-saving air should a child be trapped inside.

If a truck or other container is being used as a toy chest, remove the lid altogether to avoid the danger of a child falling in and the lid closing on him.

It is likely that with more sophisticated toys coming into the market, some specific precautions need to be taken. For this, it is essential that the instructions accompanying the toy be read and understood thoroughly.

Nowadays markets are flooded with imported toys especially Chinese make which are dirt cheap and attractively packaged but they are highly hazardous, unsafe, non-standard apart from most of them being of very inferior quality. We should avoid buying them.

Do not leave your child unattended at the beach. He can drown.

Keep your tiny tot away from pets and stray animals. They may bite or may even be carrying infection. 

PRECAUTIONS IN CROWDED AREAS (Safety Of Dear Children)

When going out of the house, specially to a place where there are likely to be many people as in wedding parties, religious celebrations etc. attach a tag with the name, address, and telephone/fax number of the child on his dress. This will help the people/police restore your child to you should he get separated/lost.

Label the child’s clothes and school bag with the name on the inside where it is not visible to strangers. A stranger could, after reading the name, strike a conversation with the child convincing him that the stranger is a family friend and may mislead the gullible child.

Instruct children not to accept gifts from anyone, nor invitations to parties from mere acquaintances.

If the child expresses any fear about particular person or a place, listen to him carefully and draw out the entire story. Take necessary steps to improve the situation. Do not underestimate or brush aside a child’s fears. He has no one else to go to and talk about them.

Keep a list of names and phone numbers of your child’s friends and their parents. It would also help to keep a list of the teacher’s names and phone numbers and school office phone number.

Children should b trained not to hitch-hike or accept a ride with anyone they do not know, even if told that the child’s parents are hurt and want to meet the child. The child should tell the person to contact the school principal.

Children should not listen to any adult who wants them to keep secret from their parents. They should inform their parents if any adult warns to take their picture, give them a gift or money, even if the adult is known to them. They should seek their parent’s permission.

Girls should not wear a chunni wrapped around the neck . it can choke them during play, or it may get accidently caught in the wheels while riding on a scooter , motor cycle , escalator or bicycle.

The above instructions should be augmented by one’s own experience and the advice of elders. Sharing information with neighbors also proves mutually beneficial.

Safety Of Dear Children Part 2

During any repair or construction work in the house, the repairman uses a temporary ladder and his tools, materials etc lying all around. Children should not be allowed to climb on to the ladder, sit beneath it, or or hold It . They should not handle any tool or material and should be barred from entering the area under repair .The repairman too should be told to keep his tools  and materials within sight and properly, and to keep an eye on the children. He should not try to befriend children by giving them hammers ,chisels or nails etc.
Furniture, including coffee-tables, should not have sharp corners. Their corners as well as as it should be rounded since children are likely to fall upon them while running around. For the same reason do not use a glass-top table if a child can reach it .
There should be no locks or bolts on the inside of the door to children's rooms. If a small child bolts or locks himself in, he may not be able to unlock the door and may get hysterical or frightened.
Nowadays most parents use cribs, playpens , strollers , walkers , and high chairs for their young children . Ensure these are made safe for them.
Check that there is no space in a crib around the mattress for a child to insert his head and suffocate. If a child can stand up ,see that he will not fall out of the crib . In a crib there should be no toys with strings as strings can strangulate a child .
In a playpen, no side should be down when the child is in it. The sides should be at least 50 cm high . The playpen should be stable and not fold accidentally or collapse on any side.
There should be belts in strollers and high chairs to prevent the child from falling over . The construction of these irems should be such that the child's skin or clothes will not be pinched , sheared , or cut .
Walkers , carriages and strollers should have brakes that cannot be released by the child .
Do not leave infants unattended in prams , strollers and walkers as they may slide down a ramp , or the child , if able to walk , may wander off and get lost.
Avoid installing barbed wire fencing at a low level around the house . Children, running or playing in the lawn are very likely to run into the fence , cut themselves , and run the risk of heavy bleeding and tetanus. A thick natural hedge is preferable.
Children get excited when a car comes up their driveway , and they run towards it out of curiosity . The driver may not always be able to see the child because of the child's low height , also least excepts to see a child there, or he may be concentrated on the manoeuvring the car in a confined driveway. So , do not let children play near or in the driveway .
Do not let small children handle marbles , airgun bullets , beads, small stones ,gavel , knives, forks , scissors ,toothpicks , sewing or injection needles , pins, drawing pins , etc. These can cause serious injuries . A round object could also get lodged in the throat, nose , or ear. A child should not put a spoon handle, pencil or even plastic straw used to sip cold drinks in his mouth and run around the house. If he hits a wall or falls down, the item can damage the back of the palate. There is no easy cure for this and the recovery is slow and rather painful.
Small children should not handle an umbrella, either open or closed . Umbrellas have been known to cause injuries to the eye. Therefore always put them on an upper shelf, or hang them high out of the reach of young children.
Whenever children see a movie of Superman , Spiderman , WWF, or other stunt stars , take time off to explain to them that these are not real events , and are tricks of film-making and they should never attempt any of those weird things . Tell them also that even the heroes of those very movies do not attempt these acts in real life . Any attempt to emulate film stunts will lead to great harm, and could even be fatal. We read about such horrible attempts in newspapers nowadays regularly.

Safety of DEAR Children

Children are generally unaware of the dangerous posed by different items and situations. They need special protection and extra guidance in all their activities during the initial years.
Children tend to go to kitchen frequently as the mother is mostly there and the father and older children are out of the house. The child needs attention and the mother is the best source,  so the continuous attempts to enter kitchen. Kitchen, as we all know, has a lot of hazardous activities going on like boiling frying ,cutting ,grinding ,crushing scrubbing etc and an innocent child can grab the knife sweets jar, steaming kettle, the fork ,cups etc. He may try to open boxes or containers and would like to taste what they contain (even pepper ,Red Chillies ,spices etc )
The child enjoys emptying the containers on floor ,mixing their contents, playing with them and may even what harmful things in his eyes or mouth or rub on his body.
Avoid any cooking while holding a baby in your arms as the child may try to jump on to the stove or may feel giddy with all the pungent smell and the fumes .
Avoid holding a hot drink in your hand with a child in your hand ,as a child can in a fraction of a second try to grab the item ,which may scald the child and even yourself.
The table cloth should not be left hanging too low as a child may hold and pull it down, bringing all the dishes down and also hurting himself. Do avoid allowing a child move around freely with a glass, milk bottle in his hand because should the child fall ,the bottle is most likely to break and the broken glass pieces may injure the child's skin and eyes . Never ever leave a child unsupervised in the kitchen and keep all electrical gadgets away from child's reach.
The bathroom is another place where a child should not be left unattended. He may drown in inches of water, get soap in the eyes or pour toilet cleansing fluid over the head or drink it . All these situations can be very harmful. Do not leave children alone even for a few seconds in the bathtub, near a swimming pool ,water bucket or a toilet bowl. They can drown in less time then it takes to answer the telephone or a doorbell
In the bedroom ,the dressing table is very inviting with all its glass bottles and other fancy things . Anything made of glass like nail polish bottle, can break and injure a child. Therefore, do not allow small children there alone. A child can also lock himself in a cupboard or trunk which he cannot open easily from inside. This may be fatal as he may suffocate. Hence, keep all cupboards and trunks bolted.
The study room with it's pointed pencils, pens ,ballpoint pens, ink bottles pins paper clips and other such items can also be quite inviting to a child yet all of these items can hurt curious child so do not leave these items on the table when you are not using them keep them in a drawer.
Do not let the child stay alone in store room workshop or a garage these places are generally full of a variety of potentially dangerous items, tools and gardening equipments. He can get badly hurt in numerous ways. Furthermore as the workshop or the garage is generally at one end of the house, a child's cries for help may not be heard easily inside the house, thus dealing prompt medical attention.
Check that nowhere in the house is an electric socket at a low level a child can insert his finger or even a paper clip etc into a socket and get shock low level showcase should be moved up plugged or cover tightly when not in use.

( Goodwill's A Complete Guide to Family Safety and First-Aid By Dr.Ashwani Bhardwaj)