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Teaching kids about medical emergencies

What young children need to know about at-home emergencies
Posted at 5:17 PM, Nov 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-30 18:17:04-05

If you had an accident or medical emergency at home, would you child, or children, know what to do?

Corpus Christi Fire Chief Robert Rocha said the important thing is for parents to communicate with their kids, and make sure they know how to call 9-1-1.

They should also know their address.

On the medical side, if someone is injured, teach the child how to put the patient in a comfortable position, and they should also make sure the injured person can breathe.

But Rocha stresses, the most important skill young children should know is how to make that 9-1-1 call.

"While units are en route to the scene, the dispatcher will give critical instructions to the caller so, such as is the person breathing?" he said. "Where is the person located? Different questions that will elicit a response, so that the response can be jotted down by the dispatchers and can be transmitted to the oncoming fire and EMS units."

After a child calls 9-1-1, Rocha said if they're able to, they should go get help from a neighbor, that way an adult can be at the scene until help arrives.