Emergency: What to do While Waiting for the Ambulance

Emergencies can strike at any time and, if severe enough, it may be necessary to call an ambulance. What should you do while waiting for the ambulance to get there? Do not try to take the injured person to the hospital yourself. They will actually get care faster if you call the ambulance because the ambulance workers provide care immediately upon arrival. They are also able to transport the patient to the hospital faster and more safely than you can.

Once you have called 911, stay on the line so the dispatcher can provide instructions for how you can help. Try to keep the patient calm; the best way to do this is for you to remain calm! Do not move the patient. Instead, cover him or her with a blanket to prevent shock. Do not give anything to eat or drink as surgery may be needed. Watch for the ambulance and direct them how to get to the patient as quickly as possible.

Knowing what to do while you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive can take some of the tension out of the situation…and may even save someone’s life.

EMERGENCY SUPPLIES

For Christmas last year, my sister got me a several packages of prepared, dried food to use in the event of an emergency.  At the same time, I had a package where the expiration date was coming up, so I decided to try eating it just to see what it tasted like.  In a nutshell, it would take a dire emergency for me to eat the thing; it was horrible!  It was similar to chewing on dried cardboard and it really taught me a lesson.

I don’t want to put a lot of money (or for someone else to put a lot of money) into prepackaged, prepared foods.  I’d much rather “buy ahead” those items I like and have them on hand and practice the “first in/ first out” rule.

First in/first out means that items are placed on my shelves with the most recent purchases placed behind the ones I already had so that the freshest are in the back and I’m using the others before their expiration date arrives.  That way they don’t expire before I eat them, yet I’m eating food I already know I like.  That makes much more sense to me than spending a bundle for dried cardboard.  I try to make sure that I buy foods that are healthy and “complete” in that they are providing me with the full nutritional value needed in the course of a day.

Some other tips for Storing Emergency Supplies:

• Make sure the supplies you put in your emergency supply kits work well and won’t break easily.
• Choose a safe place for your emergency supply kits. Spaces that are cool in temperature and dark, like a closet or an accessible place in your garage, are good options.
• If you have an apartment or don’t have a lot of space, get creative! Put your emergency supply kit under your bed or stairs.
• Layer supplies in your 72-hour emergency supply kit in a large container, like a plastic garbage can on wheels.

• Put toothbrushes, soap, eating and cooking utensils, and personal supplies into a box and place it at the bottom of the container.
• Next, put in blankets and clothing.
• Put water, food, and your first aid kit on top so you can reach them easily.

• If you’re a camper or backpacker, you already have a head start. You can use the tent, stove, and other gear you use for fun as part of your emergency supplies.

A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

While I have an individual plan for how I’ll prepare for a disaster, I also have a separate plan for my business. Of course I want to come through a disaster in good shape, but I don’t want to be devastated financially either. I depend on my business to help pay for my retirement. I need to protect my source of income.
In the same way you assess the types of disaster that may affect your life at home, you’ll want to assess what types of emergencies may befall your business: flood, fire, tornado, etc. Develop a brief plan for continuing to provide services following each disaster that may have a negative impact on your business.
Look at the staff, materials, procedures and equipment that are absolutely necessary to keep your business operating. Make a list of your most important customers and how you can best serve them during and after a disaster. Identify key suppliers, shippers, resources and other businesses you must interact with on a daily basis. Develop professional relationships with more than one company in case your primary contractor cannot service your needs.
Next, design two plans for continuing service, one for sheltering-in-place and another for evacuating and managing your business from another location. Don’t just make a plan to survive a disaster, make a plan to ensure your business survives too. For more detailed information, please go to http://www.ready.gov.

MENTAL HEALTH PREPAREDNESS

Earlier this week I spoke to a local Community Mental Health group about emergency preparedness planning and I can’t even begin to tell you what a pleasure it was! I wish everyone with a disability was as willing to consider what their special needs might be during a disaster as this group was.

We had a great discussion on what might happen during an emergency (I used an exercise called “The Tornado” to simulate an actual experience), and each person in attendance began filling in a form listing the people and resources they’d need to have on hand to help them in a disaster. Beyond survival though, we also looked at what items we would most want to help us cope and be as comfortable as possible.

Each person listed the friends and family members they could call on for help during an emergency situation; places where they might be able to stay if their homes were damaged; the best room in their home for sheltering in place; who to call on for transportation assistance; what resources they depend on; and what their special mental health needs might be. It was an awesome experience!

The group is very close and decided their best resources would be each other. They agreed to list their contact information on a sheet and to try their best to be there for each other if the situation ever arises.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Have you made any plans for having back-up assistive technology (A.T.) available for your use in the event of an emergency? I was thinking about that recently when I lost my glasses. I used to always keep my old pair for back up, but one of the lenses fell out and I put it up for “safe keeping.” You’re right — I forgot where I put it. Well, hopefully wherever it is, it’s safe!

Anyway, some of us are dependent upon assistive technology items that we can get by without, but some of us are so dependent on our A.T. devices that we must have them to remain independent. Have you thought about what would happen if you were separated from the A.T. you depend on?

I wear glasses to see far distances. I can get by fairly well without them so long as I don’t have to read street signs. I also use a cane sometimes to improve my balance and take some of the pressure off my bad hip. I’d hate to have to walk across rough ground without that cane. I’d probably fall and lose my glasses!

Not all A.T. consists of large and expensive items like wheelchairs, ramps, or stair climbers, but if you use any A.T. items on a regular basis, can you get by without it? Have you made any plans for what you’d do if you were not able to use your A.T. for an extensive period of time due to a power outage, or if it were damaged? Why not take a few minutes to think about it now and add some strategies to your Emergency Preparedness Plan to have in place in case something happens? After all, better safe than sorry, right?

disABLEd but Ready!

Being ready to respond to an emergency means being ready to move quickly. Have your Go Kit nearby, packed and ready to go. Some of the items you may want to place in your kit would include extra eyeglasses, hearing aids, communication devices, phones, flashlights, medications, and dentures. Some of the other items you depend on can be stored together so you can use them daily, but get to them quickly. These items include assistive technology devices you depend on such as a wheelchair or walker, oxygen or other special adaptive equipment.

Know how to get out of your house using alternate routes, and make sure everyone else in the house knows them too. Family or friends visiting? Then make sure they know where the fire extinguishers are, as well as first-aid supplies and the shut-off valves for utilities.

Know what you’re going to do before an emergency arises. Stack the deck in your favor!

THE MONSTERS UNDER THE BED

Are your children prepared for an emergency? If your child has a disability, how will it affect him or her if there is a disaster? What if you are the one with the disability? How can you best protect your children during and following a disaster?

Think of all the power outages we’ve had in the area in the past couple of days brought on by the storms that went through the night before last. Many homes were out of power for several days. It could have been worse; the power outages could have been longer. What if your grandchildren were visiting when the power outages occurred? Would it have been difficult for you? How would you entertain them without electricity for television and electronic games? What if the power went out and you couldn’t be home with them? Are your children and grandchildren prepared to cope in an emergency if they were on their own? Do they know where to go to meet up with you? It’s worth thinking about. It’s actually worth planning for too.

If you go to http://www.ready.gov/kids you’ll find information specifically designed to teach children how to prepare for an emergency. There are games and activities to teach emergency preparedness planning. Check it out! You might be very glad you did.

Ready & disAbled

I don’t think of myself as a doomsday person, but I do like to be prepared for things before they happen, not after.  When I read about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on people with disabilities (pwds), and the aftermath of the attack on the Twin Towers, I was struck by how poorly people with disabilities tended to fare.  PWDs catch the worst of it in most cases: transported without the assistive technology they need to get by on a daily basis if they were able to be transported at all; turned away from alternate housing because there was no way to get them up the steps; no written directions for those who were deaf, or directional signs that were illegible to the elderly or persons with low vision; the list goes on and on.

Ok, so I know that the likelihood that terrorists are outside ready to blow up my office is pretty unlikely, still…when I think about it, my office is right across the street from a major highway and a railroad tracks.  Either one could be the avenue for an accident that could release toxic chemicals into the air.  And my home is located within 50 miles of 2 nuclear power plants.  And I’ve already experienced high winds, tornados, and several long-term power outages, so I know emergencies can happen…and that makes me vulnerable.  I don’t like being vulnerable.  I don’t like it at all.

Earlier this year, I decided to get started making some plans.  I’d do what I could, as I could to get myself ready.  I wouldn’t make myself crazy, but I was going to try doing one thing each month to prepare myself for an emergency.  My first step was to pick up a “Go Kit.”  It’s just a backpack filled with some items you can use in an emergency.  There are a variety of them available on the internet running from around $40 to hundreds of dollars depending on how big they are, how many people they are designed for, and how long they are expected to last.  Mine is just a small one, it has a first aid kit, food enough to last for a couple of days, flares and other items you’d need in an emergency to get you by, especially if you can’t get home for a day or two.  Pretty nifty!  I like knowing I’m taking care of myself and that when/if an emergency happens, I won’t be running around looking for other people to take care of me.  I guess that comes from being an Independent Living Specialist!

I’ll tell you more about the other steps I’ve taken to prepare myself next week, but what are you doing to be prepared?  If you’re a person with a disability, what challenges do you face ensuring your independence during an emergency?