07Feb / 2023

10 Practical Skills to Learn Before an Emergency

A close-up of hands performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a person lying on the ground.

Personal health preparedness isn’t only about collecting supplies. Level up your emergency preparedness. Learn practical skills you can use to help yourself and others. Here are 10 skills you can learn to prepare for an emergency, in no particular order.

How to wash your hands the right way. Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can help stop the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections from one person to another. Follow these five steps to wash your hands the right way every day, including during an emergency.
How to administer CPR. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can help save a person’s life if their breathing or heart stops. You don’t need a special certification or formal training to perform CPR, but you do need education. Hands-only CPR is simple to learn and easy to remember.
How to work an automated external defibrillator (AED). AEDs give step-by-step voice instructions, but training is still recommended. Classes can teach you how to recognize the signs of a sudden cardiac arrest, when to call emergency medical services, how to administer CPR, and how to use an AED.
How to use a portable generator. Portable generators produce a poison gas called carbon monoxide (CO). The risk of CO poisoning increases after an emergency. Sixteen of the 129 Hurricane Irma-related deaths in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina were because of CO poisoning.(1) If using a generator during a power outage, remember to always
- place it outdoors at least 20 feet away from any window, door, or vent.
- operate it in a dry area.
- use a battery-powered or battery back-up CO detector.
How to perform first aid. The risk for injury during and after an emergency like a natural disaster is high. Prompt first aid can help heal small wounds and prevent infection. It is important to know how to care for cuts, burns, and other kinds of injuries. Keep a well-stocked and maintained first-aid kit that includes an emergency first-aid reference guide.
How to stop severe bleeding. Serious injuries can cause heavy bleeding. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes. If you are a bystander to a medical emergency, you are the help until professional help arrives. Learning what to do in a bleeding emergency, including how to apply a tourniquet, can save a person’s life. A tourniquet is a last resort if applying pressure does not stop the bleeding.
How to help someone who is choking. Fast action can save the life of someone who is choking. Young children are at especially high risk of choking. They can choke on foods like hot dogs and grapes, and small objects like toy pieces and coins. Learn when and how to do back blows and perform abdominal thrusts.
How to turn off utilities. Household utilities can pose potential health and safety threats after an emergency. Know where and how to turn them off in the aftermath of a natural disaster like an earthquake. Contact your utility providers with questions.
How to use a fire extinguisher. Use fire extinguishers on small fires only. When operating a fire extinguisher, remember the acronym PASS:
- Pull the pin.
- Aim low at the base of the fire.
- Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
- Sweep the nozzle from side to side.(2)
How to call 9-1-1. While making the call is easy, you may not know what to expect when you call. Prepare to answer questions about yourself and the emergency. Your answers help the call-taker get the right kind of help to you. Also, don’t hang up until the call-taker instructs you to do so. Many 911 centers can tell you how to help until professional help arrives.(3)

Honorable mentions include learning how to keep food safe after an emergency, how to make water safe, how to administer naloxone, and how to perform seizure first aid.

Resources

References

Thanks in advance for your questions and comments on this Public Health Matters post. Please note that CDC does not give personal medical advice. If you are concerned you have a disease or condition, talk to your doctor.

Have a question for CDC? CDC-INFO (https://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) offers live agents by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics.

Permalink

30Jun / 2017

Prepare to be patriotic!

Young blonde boy carrying an American Flag over a wooden Bridge.

The 4^th of July is a day to celebrate Uncle Sam, enjoy the summer weather, and spend time with family and friends. Keep these five things in mind as you plan your 4^th of July celebration.

Prevent fireworks injuries

Fireworks can cause death and injury, including burns, cuts, bruises, and foreign objects in your eyes.

Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities.
Avoid buying fireworks packaged in brown paper, which often means they were made for professional displays and could be dangerous for consumers.
Make sure you and your family watch fireworks displays from a safe distance.
Call 911 immediately if someone is injured from fireworks.

Beat the heat

In hot temperatures your body may be unable to properly cool itself. This could lead to serious health problems.

Drink plenty of fluids, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar–these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
Put on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher – the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels.
Stay in the shade!

Don’t let a stomach bug slow you down

The summer months typically see a spike in reports of foodborne illness. Keep the food safe at your 4^th of July picnic or BBQ.

Use separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry and ready to eat foods, like raw fruits and vegetables.
Use a food thermometer to make sure meat and poultry are cooked hot enough to kill harmful germs.
Don’t leave food at room temperature for longer than two hours – one hour if the outside temperature is over 90 degrees. Keep perishable food in an insulated cooler packed with ice or ice packs.

Prepare to take the plunge

Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children 1 to 4 years old than any other cause except birth defects.

Designate a responsible adult to watch all children swimming or playing in or around water. Drowning occurs quickly and quietly, so adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity while supervising children.
Teach kids to swim. Formal swimming lessons can protect young children from drowning.
Always swim with a buddy. Whenever possible choose swimming sites that have lifeguards.
Avoid drinking alcohol before or during swimming, boating, or water skiing. Do not drink alcohol while supervising children.
Know the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming or boating. Strong winds and thunderstorms with lightning strikes are dangerous.

Fight the bite

Bugs, including mosquitoes, ticks, and some flies can spread diseases like Zika, dengue, and Lyme disease.

Use EPA-registered insect repellents that contain at least 20% DEET for protection against mosquitoes, ticks, and other bugs.
Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and a hat. Tuck your shirt into your pants, and tuck your pants into your socks for maximum protection.
Check yourself and your children for ticks. Ticks are easy to remove.

You can find more tips for a safe and healthy summer on the CDC website. Happy 4^th of July!

Permalink

30May / 2017

Why Diarrhea & Swimming Don’t Mix

Kids by Pool The summer swim season is here, and millions of Americans will be flocking to local pools for fun in the sun and exercise. However, swimming, like any form of exercise, does not come without health risks. The good news is that we can all take a few simple but effective steps to help keep ourselves and other swimmers we know healthy and safe.

While sunburn and drowning might be the health risks that first come to mind when you think about swimming, diarrhea is another culprit. Outbreaks of diarrheal illness linked to swimming are on the rise. And this Healthy and Safe Swimming Week, we want to make sure you know these important facts about diarrhea-causing germs at aquatic venues, like swimming pools and water playgrounds, and how to protect yourself and loved ones.

When swimmers have diarrheal incidents in the water, they release diarrhea-causing germs into the water. For example, a swimmer infected with the parasite Cryptosporidium can release 10–100 million infectious germs into the water. Swallowing 10 or fewer Cryptosporidium germs can make someone sick.
Some diarrhea-causing germs can survive in properly treated water for days. Standard levels of chlorine and other disinfectants can kill most germs in swimming pools within minutes. However, Cryptosporidium has a tough outer shell and can survive for up to 10 days in properly treated water. Outbreaks of diarrhea linked to pools or water playgrounds and caused by the parasite Cryptosporidium have doubled since 2014.
Swim diapers won’t keep diarrhea out of a pool. Using swim diapers might give parents a false sense of security when it comes to containing diarrhea. Research has shown that swim diapers might hold in some solid feces but these diapers only delay diarrhea-causing germs, like Cryptosporidium, from leaking into the water by a few minutes. Swim diapers do not keep these germs from contaminating the water.
Don’t swallow the water you swim in. Swallowing just a small amount of water with diarrhea germs in it can make you sick for up to 3 weeks.
Don’t swim or let your kids swim if sick with diarrhea. We all share the water we swim in. Do your part to help keep loved ones healthy by not getting in the water if you or your children have diarrhea.

CDC’s Michele Hlavsa is a nurse and the chief of CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program. As a parent, it is important for her to know how to protect her children from not only diarrhea, but all types of germs and injuries linked to swimming. Michele encourages swimmers to follow a few easy and effective steps each time they swim in a pool or get in a water playground this summer and year-round.

Permalink

26Jun / 2014

Drowning Can Be Subtle

I suspect that people at our pool judge me for being that parent that’s too distracted watching his kids. It makes me an even worse conversationalist than usual. The social norm is that the kids play and the adults socialize, after all, there is an admirably diligent lifeguard. I am a quadcopter drone of a parent at the pool and beach for two reasons. One, I like playing with my kids (they are more interesting than you – I have data). Two, drowning doesn’t look like drowning:

The Instinctive Drowning Response—so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. – Mario Vittone

Filed under: This Mortal Coil Tagged: drowning, Linkonomicon, parenting, pools, safety, swimming