Schools prepare for emergencies by having fire drills and constructed hurricane survival kits to ensure students prepared in the event of an emergency. However, as adults with our own homes and families, many of us are too preoccupied to consider what we would do in an actual emergency. Given the ongoing hurricanes we as Floridians endure year after year along with any other type of unforeseen emergency, it’s clearer than ever that calamities can strike at any time. It’s crucial for every family to know how they’d respond in a critical scenario, whether it’s a skinned knee, a broken arm, or an emergency evacuation, and that includes having a clear emergency disaster plan in place for nannies.
“I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the nanny being fully integrated into the prevention and safety plan of the household,” says Richard Pass, a registered nurse and the founder of Save A Little Life,“The team is only as strong as its weakest link.’ In other words, anyone who’s right there in the mix and would be expected to make decisions in a hurry has to know what the plan is.”
If you aren’t sure exactly where to start with emergency prep, here’s what Pass recommends:
1. Make a list of emergency contact information.
Caregivers will require immediate access to phone numbers and other critical information in the event of an actual emergency. According to Pass, keep a list of emergency phone numbers placed in a frequent gathering location in your home, such as the kitchen. Even if the nanny already knows the parents’ phone numbers and addresses, they should be provided. “Anxiety, tension, and a certain level of fear have to be factored in,” Pass adds, “particularly when something happens that isn’t life-threatening but is significant.”
In addition to contact information, it’s critical to have a few documents in order, particularly for nannies. Nannies may need to go to the ER with a child and if so need a consent for treatment. Your doctor should be able to provide you with this type of document in order for you to give to your caregiver. Nannies will also need to know about the child’s medical history and allergies. “This is very important because it reduces the risk of mistakes that are made in hospitals when we don’t have information,” says Pass. “And also if the person bringing them [the child] in has this information, we don’t have to have any delays in starting treatment.”
2. Get CPR & First Aid certified
Parents and caregivers should have First Aid and CPR certificates. If you have a pool or your children spend a lot of time near water, Pass suggests receiving water safety training. “Prevention is a key component of what we do at Save a Little Life,” adds Pass. You’ll learn not only how to respond to emergency situations in certification programs, but also where the biggest threats may lay in order to prevent any unforeseen emergency.
3. Prepare a to “Go Bag”
It’s critical to have a plan in place for major crises such as hurricanes, fires, tornados, flooding, or other events. These plans need to include precise activities to be done and a specified location where the nanny and children can meet up with the parents. In the event that a parent or nanny needs to flee quickly, Pass suggests having a “go bag” prepared and ready. “I use a backpack because it allows me to have something literally on me and still have my hands free to carry something else or do something else if I have to leave in a hurry,” explains Pass. “To be able to leave safely and in a timely manner.”
“To be able to leave safely and in a hurry, I would also make sure that there were copies of important insurance documents, birth certificates, passports — anything that is important should be a copy and that copy should be probably in a folder or file you can quickly or have already to go.”
4.Assemble a Perfect First-Aid Kit
“A caregiver is significantly more likely to need to administer First Aid than to respond to other types of emergencies,” Pass explains.
In general, your kit should include:
- Bandages in a variety of sizes and shapes
- Clean and sterile gauze
- Gloves for avoiding contamination when dressing wounds
- Bandage scissors
- Tweezers
- Antibiotic ointment
- Neosporin
- Burn cream
- Instant ice packs (note: always put something, like a towel or cloth, between the skin and the ice pack)
- Ibuprofen and/or acetaminophen
- An Ace bandage
- A bulb aspirator
“Most parents have been told that a bulb aspirator is probably only useful for unloading snot from a baby’s nose, but in reality it’s a multi-use device,” says Pass. “Assuming it’s at least clean — it doesn’t have to be sterile — you can draw up soapy water and flush out a wound that might have dirt in it or use it as an irrigation device to flush out eyes.”