Our Family Practices Emergencies, And You Should, Too

I wouldn’t say my husband and I were helicopter parents when my now 12-year-old was younger. We were more like tiny biplanes, staying close by but trying not to hover. We were lucky to have a naturally cautious kid, but we knew that luck wasn’t a safety strategy.

The reality of home safety is a wake-up call for any parent. According to Parachute, Canada’s national charity for injury prevention, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for Canadian children, and the vast majority of these accidents happen in the place they feel safest: at home. From falls and choking to fires and poisonings, the statistics remind us that "it won't happen to us" is a dangerous gamble.

"Being prepared for an emergency brings peace of mind and allows parents and kids to react confidently and quickly in an emergency situation, which often occurs without warning. For example, practicing how to get out of the house in a fire situation can buy you crucial seconds that can mean the difference between life and death," says Pamela Fuselli, president and CEO of Parachute.

Here are the safety practices we put in place and why your family should do the same.

Learning our phone number

We taught our toddler our phone number. That way, if he ever got lost, he’d know how to tell someone how to get in touch with us. He learned my cell number at 3 years old because I would sing it constantly: during bath time, while we were playing or tidying up, and during meals. Over time, it became embedded in his little mind.

Choose a meetup spot on outings

Anytime our little family went somewhere in public, especially a large venue, we would start our visit by deciding on a clear meeting spot in case we got separated. This was an added layer of protection in busy, overcrowded spaces. I knew he’d stay in our one chosen spot until I found him rather than wander around aimlessly looking for me. During our visit, I’d test him by asking: “What is our meeting spot?”

What 911 is and how to call

Teaching him about 911 took a certain amount of finesse because we wanted to ensure he would only call this number in a real emergency. He also had to know his numbers to be able to dial. We explained what 911 was, and we practiced on the phone how to call.

Fuselli highlights the importance of teaching when to call 911—and when not to. For instance, she says to call:

• When someone is sick and not responding or not awake
• Someone is choking and can’t breathe
• If there is fire

Tell kids never to call as a joke or because they are mad at their parents. "Make sure they know to give their name, their address, to stay on the line (don’t hang up) and follow the directions the dispatcher gives them," adds Fuselli.

How to call 911 on a smartphone

Panic can inhibit fine motor skills, and kids might not remember the passcode to your phone during an emergency. It can be helpful to teach them the physical hard-key shortcuts that bypass the lock screen entirely.

For instance, on most newer iPhones, if you press and hold the side button and a volume button at the same time, an emergency call slider appears. Depending on your settings, continuing to hold will start a siren and a five-second countdown, after which 911 is automatically called.

On Android, users can rapidly press the power button five times, triggering the phone to start a countdown to call 911 or bring up a button to press to automatically call 911.

Fire drills

By the time he started school and was doing fire drills there, I thought it would be a good idea to practice one at home. Fuselli recommends practicing twice a year. Because my son was young and we didn’t want it to be a scary experience, we planned a certain time for our phone alarm to go off, and then we practiced different scenarios: what’s the best route if the fire is in the kitchen versus a bedroom? Where are our exit points?

We also checked on things like: are our smoke detectors clean and working well? And where do we keep the fire extinguishers?

Not sure how to create safe exit plans during a fire? Fuselli recommends using this guide from the Government of Ontario.

Fire safety

Fuselli also recommends teaching kids general fire safety. She suggests teaching this gradually in developmentally appropriate ways. "Talk to them about the dangers of fire in a simple way and always pair that information with positive steps they can take to avoid fires, so they are not fearful, but prepared," she says.

Here are her top lessons:

• Don’t touch a lit candle or play with matches
• Keep a safe distance away from open fires in fireplaces or campfires
• When kids are old enough to be able to act independently, teach them how to react in case of a fire emergency. For instance, stop, drop and roll, don't hide and don't go back into a burning building

Staying home alone

When he was about 10 or 11 years old, my son wanted to start staying home alone while we ran errands. It started with quick 15 to 30-minute outings and, now that he’s almost 13, he’ll hang solo at home for a couple of hours. This came with its own assessment of safety rules. For example, no cooking. He can use the toaster and microwave, but not the stove or oven.

We also reached out to our lovely neighbours to let them know our son would be staying home alone periodically, and that we were leaving their phone numbers on the side of the fridge as emergency numbers.

Have a kid who's almost ready to stay home alone? Fuselli recommends enrolling them in a babysitting course, like this one offered by the Canadian Red Cross.

Family first aid course

One thing I’d like to do as a family is take a first-aid course. Both my husband and I had taken these types of classes before we had our son, and I think it would be a good idea to get a refresher. It’s important to know how to perform CPR and the Heimlich.

Having an emergency plan in place isn't about scaring anyone; it's about preparing for stressful situations so you can ensure everyone is kept safe. Knowledge is power, and your kids will feel that much more secure knowing they're ready for the unpredictable.

Looking for a first aid course? The Canadian Red Cross offers a selection.

Emergency preparedness items to have in your house

Here's what Fuselli recommends every family should have in their home:

• Fire extinguisher
• Smoke detector
• CO detector
• First aid kit
• Power outage kit, with batteries, candles, flashlights and cans of food