The Emergency Game Plan
On Friday, our son started choking and had trouble breathing. When my husband and I couldn’t help him(using our basic layman first aid skills), I called 911 for help.
Incredibly, instead of an operator, I got a recorded message which stated that all lines were busy and that I should hold on the line until an operator was available to help me.
I have no clue how long I was actually on hold, but it seemed like an eternity until I got through to an operator and the ambulance was dispatched to our house. My son was able to recover at home, but they did take him to the hospital in the ambulance to get him checked out.
After the drama died down, I found out that a city worker had accidentally cut the 911 lines, and they were re-routing calls. Also, due to bad weather and numerous traffic accidents, the system was overwhelmed with a high call volume.
What are the chances of something like this happening? I assume that they are very, very rare, but it does happen. I am relaying my experience here not to frighten anyone, but just to make you think.
Do you have an “emergency game plan”? Do you know how to get to the hospitals in your area and their specialties? Do you have a list of people you can call on if you would need help in an emergency–for example, a neighbor to watch your older children while you tend to the baby? Do you know basic first aid? Have you taken a course in CPR?
Of course, we all hope and pray that the day will never come when we actually need to put “the plan” into motion, but just in case, isn’t it a good thing to be prepared?
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Science-mom says...
Glad to know that your baby recovered. You must have been terrified.
Thanks for this invaluable advice. I`ve been meaning to write down all emergency numbers just in case but never got round to it. I`m gonna sit down and do it right this very minute.