An emergency is defined as a situation that posses an immediate risk to health, life and property. Emergency situations strike without warning at home.
The following simple steps can help you deal with emergency situations at home.
(1) LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY AN EMERGENCY.
Any situation that happens suddenly, that is life threatening, has potential to cause damage to health and property is definitely an EMERGENCY. It needs urgent action. Any delay will further deteriorate the situation.
Frequent types of emergency situation seen at home includes; sudden ill health, fire, burst pipes, broken bottles, carbon monoxide build up due to generator fumes, electrical sparks and outage. These are all emergency situations that can lead to serious consequencies if not acted upon.
(2) BE CALM.
Learn not to panick during an emergency. If you seem overwhelmed at first, take deep breaths to provide enough oxygen for your brain. You need to have clear, but precise thinking to handle an emergency situation swiftly.
(3) FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO AND ACT FAST.
Different emergency situations need different type of action. Do a quick visual assesment of the situation, prioritize your actions in your thought and act. Some of the first things you should do in a house emergency includes:
For electrical sparks - Quickly switch off the junction box to your home elctrical circuit. The jucntion box controls distribution of electricity in your home and it usually does have an ''off'' and ''on'' switch.
In Sudden Ill health - Observe that the child or adult is breathing well and not disoriented. loosen all tight clothing, expose him or her to good ventilation. Check the body temperature, if its burning give cold bath.
For Fires - If you have a fire extinguisher at home, this is the first thing you should get your hands on and use immediately. if you don't have a fire extinguisher at home, quickly remove any flammable objects within reach and throw them outside. Get yourself and your loved ones outside fast.
Carbon Monoxide build up from generator fumes - Ventilate the house quickly. Open all windows and air vents. Get yourself and your love ones outside.
Broken bottles and furniture - Put on your protective footwear first before taking any other action. If you have kids at home, get them to wear protective footwear. Remove furniture obstacles on the way to give you ample room to attend to the emergency.
(4) CALL FOR PROFESSIONAL HELP
It is a good idea to have phone numbers of the following emergency service providers close to your home:
*A hospital nearby. Check what time they have the doctor in and how many doctors are always on duty.
*The nearest Pharmacy service to you. Get the phone number of the Pharmacy and its Supreintendent pharmacist just incase.
* A plumber. Very important
If you live in lagos the following emergency phone numbers will be helpful:
Toll free Emergency dial - 767 / 112 (Police, Ambulance, Emergencies etc)
Fire Service - 01 6584712, 7280500, 7280501, 7280502, 7280503
LASAMBUS - 01 6584713
LASEMA - 01 4187160, 4187161, 4187162
Women Abuse Domestic Violence Helpline - 01 7617508, 08085754226, 08102678443
Child Abuse Helpline - 08085753932, 08102678442 07098733732, Email: protectachild@yahoo.com, protectachild@gmail.com
Flying Doctors (Air ambulances and medical crews) - 0706 920 1299
If you live in other parts of Nigeria, simply dial 911.
(5) FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN
When you call for help, follow the emergency instructions given on phone to the best of your ability. If you are not sure, always ask the operator to repeat. If you have multiple people injured, help the most critical person first. Do not leave any injured person unattended to.
(6) RELAX AND BE CALM.
You've done all you can do. Help is on the way, let the experts you've called handle it from where you've left it.
You need more help on how to handle emergency situations? Simply send an email to hyphenpharmacy@gmail.com
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