What to Do in an Emergency Situation - Essay Example

"What to Do in an Emergency Situation" is a worthy example of a paper on social and family issues. During an emergency, we will do our best to ensure that every member of our family is safe. Our family consists of three grown-ups and two children.  As a family, we have agreed that in the event of an emergency, every adult at home shall make an attempt to find and save the children (DeVarri Summers- 5yrs old and Jermany Crook- 1yr old).  Once someone locates one or both children, he/she shall get hold of them and drag/carry them out of the house or home as quickly as possible. In the event of a fire or tornado, the older members of the family will try and exit the house by crawling or bending so as to breathe fresher air and therefore avoid suffocation. Fires and tornadoes can destroy the building structure and cause objects such as trees to fall on the building. So as to avoid being hit by collapsing structures, we shall try to exit the building by using the shortest possible routes that have structures that can shield the individual from above. In the event that someone is on fire, the fire will be extinguished by covering them using a blanket and possibly rolling them on the ground.  

Our house is a two-storied bungalow with one main door on the ground floor and an emergency exit that connects to an external staircase at the back of the building. During the emergency, depending on one’s location in the building, they will try and exit using the nearest exit point. Since the windows are grilled, it may not be easy trying to exit the building through them.  

Children are often affected by emergency situations and commonly get anxious when things seem to go wrong. Taking this into consideration, we have agreed that we will try to act calmly as we respond to an emergency and reassure the children that all will be well. We will attend to the children’s and each other’s emotional needs as soon as we are safe and out of danger.  

So as to be able to deal with injuries such as burns, bruises, and fractures during emergencies, we have agreed that the house will be installed with two first aid kits. These will be located strategically near the main door and emergency exit so that they are easily accessible whenever needed. In addition, we have agreed that the family will buy a fire extinguisher that can help in extinguishing fires caused by different agents as a measure to minimize the effects of emergency fires.  

Knowing the whereabouts of other members of the family and communicating to them the situation on the ground is very important during an emergency.  As soon as one notices an emergency, they will try and call out to the others. They will also warn the others about the incident such as shouting “fire fire”.  This will enable the other members of the family to take appropriate steps to move to safety, inform others, and rescue those they can rescue depending on the situation. We have marked an assembly point a safe distance outside the house to which the family members may gather as they wait for the others or as they take toll of the events and decide what next to do.  So as to maintain contact with one another and with people who may be assistance during an emergency, we have agreed to memorize one another’s phone contacts, contacts of at least some neighbors and contacts of people out of town. The family needs to maintain a record of emergency contact numbers such as the fire brigade, police, ambulance, water department, the insurance company, and electricity company to be able to call for quick help in case of an emergency.