TAAT just asked my children what to do in an emergency ...

[annie987]

Oh dear!! They didn’t!
We have taught this, we did role play when they were younger and they didn’t know!!!
One said call 111
The other said call 911
They are both 12. Oh dear!
We have now been through it all again.

I worry about this. I think it is harder for kids these days as it is not as simple as picking up the landline phone and dialling 999. I understand they can access the home screen on a mobile but it is whether they remember this in an emergency or not.

I get this every time my DH is away! Visions of myself lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs as the baby howls.... 😬

When my husband was having a heart attack I asked his son (20) to phone for an ambulance. He asked “what’s the number?”

Panic does do weird things, even to adults.

As long as your children can use a phone, they will get through to someone, even if it’s a family member and get help.

Also, dialing 911 or 112 Will get the caller through to emergency services.

Just asked Dd who's 14 she said Ghostbusters. Then laughed, she got it right 999/111 didn't know 101 but does now.

Yes, I checked with mine too, and he could reel off the number and what to do, but they teach it early and often in school here (not UK).

Funnily enough I've just had this conversation with my DC. I was up a ladder cutting a tree and feeling wobbly shouted over to them on the trampoline to ask what they would do in an emergency.

Better than when I asked DS1 a couple of years ago what he'd to if I was sick, to see if he remembered what I'd taught him.... and he very confidently said he'd pray. He was really insistent. Bloody religious education at school!

If there’s a fire you must get out of your house and run to the nearest telephone box to call 999 for the fire service.

Good but better is;

Get out.
Get the fire brigade out.
Stay out!.

Phone box? Or carrier pigeon, perhaps?

When mine were younger I made sure that they knew which houses in the road were those of my friends/contacts and their friends so they could run round and get help. Any of our neighbours would have been approachable especially as we had a nurse, policeman, ambulance driver and fireman all within a small area.
I also talked them through and pointed out where they could get help as we walked through the village e.g. newsagent, friends' houses etc.

Mine said 911. Blooming American tv shows

If we are out leaving DS13 at home we've told him in a fire to see if he can safely get down the stairs (if the fire is in the kitchen he would be fine but not if on first floor for example) and told him to either get out and call 999 and then us; or to go back to his attic room and shut the fire proof doors and call 999 and say he's in the attic room (velux Windows so they could get him out) and then call us. And stay close to the floor if smoke

But as he still says 911 and doesn't really listen half the time I do wonder what would actually happen!

I’ve replied on the other thread so won’t say again. But we’ve always done fire evacuation plans too- what to do, how to get out, if the door handle is hot and I haven’t come out, they go through their bedroom window leaving me behind to get help etc.

I’ve delivered fire safety and first aid for years- hence probably my insistence on my kids knowing this since they were little.

I’m always shocked on training when people say ‘I don’t know what to do or how to get my children out of something happened’ Plan, plan, plan! Don’t be in the small % who loses their life when something happens.

I’ve trained people who have lost children in a fire, it’s the hardest training I ever do😢 when you hear their stories, you wouldn’t think twice about making plans.

You all really do this? It's a thing?

Of course it's a thing.

I'm 50yrs old and it's always been a thing

I was never taught this by my parents 🤷‍♀️ my eldest said he would go to the neighbour's he picked the one who we dont always speak to but she is good in an emergency so it's a good start

Blithering the other thing to reinforce is to get out even if he feels responsible for the fire.

My dad used to do fire drills and question us about how we planned to escape from whatever room we were in. I think it was a good idea.

I read your post with interest. I just asked my nine year old daughter. She said dial 999, tell them the problem and our address (which she knows).

Blooming American tv shows

That is the exact reason why 911 will redirect to 112 from any mobile phone.

In the UK, 999 and 112 are equally acceptable, but 999 is promoted because more people are familiar with it.

I remind my kids frequently. They know the list of places to go for help (neighbour, neighbour's parents, as a last resort MrCarpet's brother etc) and they know that the most important thing is to leave the house and then call for help if there is a fire. We've talked about why it's important not to go back inside and they have emergency contact numbers in case they need the Police (who will take a least 2 hours to arrive, so they know to phone 999 and then someone actually useful).

Mine have done fire plans at cubs and scouts, along with visits to the fire brigade, police and ambulance station.

We do go over them occasionally to remind ourselves what to do.

I asked my 16 yo, he has autism and learning disabilities and he didn't really know what to do. This could be because I distracted him from playing games, but I will go over it with him. He can't be left alone anyway, but it's worrying that something may happen to me and he'll just ignore my crumpled body lying on the floor unconscious because he doesn't understand. At the moment his siblings would know what to do but when he's older it'll be something to be aware of.

For reference if you call 911 you get through to 999 ... discovered from my uni days!

I am alone with my Dc a lot so I have taught the eldest since she was 4 what to do. I also have a print of the info on the wall.

You don't need to unlock a mobile phone.

When I swipe my phone where the numbers come up to enter your pin, on the bottom left is EMERGENCY CALL. Just swipe your mobile to wake it up, and see whether that button is there.

You can call Emergency services even when in airplane mode.

And if they got lost we taught ours to go into a shop nearby if possible and tell someone who was working there they were lost, rather than asking a random stranger. Failing that a mum with children would be best if possible.