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Helping you wisely prepare for the unexpected events in life

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AED anyone?

Pearls Before Swine Comic Strip, June 23, 2013 on GoComics.com.

 

Pearls Before Swine

 

This one made me laugh.

A couple years ago, local news ran a story of a factory manager who put some money towards an AED (stands for automated external defibrillator, which will shock a person’s heart if it they have collapsed and their heart is quivering instead of beating) for his facility. He trained his staff on how to use it. Just a little while after the investment and training, he collapsed.  The workers pulled the AED out and applied it. It delivered a shock and his heart re-started.  His life was saved by his staff’s knowledge and access to an AED.

The comic is funny, but kidding aside, AEDs save lives. If you have a small business, school, church or sports program and there is not already an AED available, please look into it. If someone collapses from a heart rhythm problem or heart attach, the potential to save a life can be lost within two minutes or less, not enough time for paramedics to arrive. Train yourself and train your colleagues. One life saved is worth it all.

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A Household Self-Quiz: Fire Safety

Consider the following:

Question 1) How many of these do you have?

smoke alarm

There should be a minimum of one on each level, with one located near entrances for each bedroom. If they’re too far away, you won’t hear them when you need to.

 

Question 2) When did you last change the batteries?

 

Batteries should be changed twice yearly, and alarms should be tested for function. For those of you who have daylight savings time, it’s a great reminder.

 

Question 3) Do you have at least one of these?

CO detector

Carbon monoxide is produced by car exhaust and furnace malfunction primarily. Since it is colorless and odorless, you will not know that you are being exposed until you start to have symptoms, signs that you are being poisoned. A detector will be the first signal to elevated levels in your home. If it goes off, don’t assume it has malfunctioned; it is better to leave the house and find out it was a false alarm than to turn it off, ignore it and have tragedy strike.

 

Question 4) How close is this….

extinguish

…to each of these?

 

stovedryerfurnace

 

Question 5) How do you use one of these, anyway?

P – Pull: yank the safety pin out

A – Aim: at the base of the flames

S – Squeeze the nozzle

S – Sweep back and forth

 

Question 6) When did your family last have a fire drill?

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Is your car ready?

As I’ve been driving around a bit lately and hitting an unusual number of rain and thunderstorms while doing so, it has brought to mind the idea of having your car stocked with some basic potential needs.  A few ideas off the top of my head…

  •  Flashlight: Every car should have one. Big, heavy and durable is best, especially for women who travel a lot on their own. You never know when a tire might go flat.
  • Food: for the traffic jam, gasoline emergency, missed breakfast, etc. Have an extra few granola bars or snacks on standby. A small plastic storage container in the trunk works pretty well!
  • Water: Also not bad to have an extra bottle or two in the trunk.
  • First aid kit: Funny enough, my car came with its own. I’ve since greatly expanded it, but it was a nice little start. Make sure you have gloves, bandaids and some Tylenol or ibuprofen at the least. These seem to be the most common needs
  • Extra oil, washer fluid, jumper cables, tire pressure gauge: cars run into emergencies, too!
  • Make sure your documents are up-to-date and easy to find if needed: registration, insurance, emergency contact for tow truck/insurance agent/etc.
  • In winter months, always have a handy blanket ready in the trunk
  • Umbrella or rain ponch: again, you never know about those flat tires!
  • Check tire pressures and windshield wipers regularly, at least as often as you change your oil
  • Consider getting some emergency flares for roadside issues
  • A couple extra bungee cords: many, many uses
  • If you have kids, throw in a couple extra coloring books and crayons or games for the unexpected traffic jam during the long trips

You can  get a small crate or tote to keep everything together and organized in the trunk. Then there’s no digging around for things and no rolling or thumping around in the trunk.

That’s what I’ve though of for now. Feel free to add in more ideas!

-SW