AY Honors/Red Alert/Answer Key

1. Tell what you should do to prevent injury and/or possible loss of life in the following situations:

a. A fire in your house, a neighbor's house, and a public building

Locate the fire and stay calm. Alert any other people that are in the building. If the fire is small and a fire extinguisher is handy, an attempt to put the fire out should be made. If the fire is already large, or you fail to extinguish it, you must evacuate the building as safely and as quickly as possible.

Feel any door before opening it, and if it is hot, do not open it. Try to exit the building without going through an area that is in flames, then stop, drop, and crawl. Call the fire department.

b. If you are stranded in a car in a blizzard or desert

Blizzard

In a blizzard, make sure the doors are closed and all windows are up. Use water a little at a time and shut off the car's engine to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Desert

Get out of the car and find shade. Try to stay hydrated by drinking water.

c. Motor vehicle accident

Contact the police and stay calm. Stay out of traffic. If available, light road flares to alert other motorists of the danger ahead.

d. Earthquake

Stand somewhere safe such as under a heavy table or in a doorway and away from breakable objects. Stay calm. If you are outside, stay away from buildings and power lines.

e. Flood

Learn the safest route to travel, staying on higher ground away from low-lying areas. Disconnect electrical appliances and equipment, or turn off the main breaker. Know public warning in your area. Do not attempt to cross a flooded stream, such as one that is over the road. Water is very strong and can sweep even a heavy truck downstream in an instant. If you find yourself being swept downstream, try to float on your back and get your feet in front of you with your toes out of the water to avoid foot-entrapment. Do not try to stand in swift water, as if you are knocked over and your foot becomes entrapped by something under the water, the water will hold you down and you will not be able to get up. Use your arms to keep yourslef afloat and to guide yourself to the bank.

f. Tornado

Go to a basement or storm shelter. Remain alert to weather conditions. Be familiar with the community warning systems.

g. Hurricane

When a hurricane is forecast to strike your area, take steps to protect yourself. Put up shutters to protect your property and evacuate if advised to do so by local officials. Have a supply of non-perishable food and water on hand. Be aware of storm surge, which is caused when a hurricane temporarily raises the level of the ocean, sometimes by dozens of feet. Take shelter somewhere on high ground during the storm.

h. Thunderstorm

Stay away from trees, tall objects, water, and objects made of metal (such as railing). If possible, get inside a building or in a car. If your hair stands on end, drop to your knees and place your hands on your knees. This will make you a smaller target for a lightning strike. Do not lay on the ground, as this will make you a larger target.

Do not use a traditional land-line telephone (cell phones are OK though). Stay away from windows. Do not take a shower or a bath during a thunderstorm.

i. Atomic emergency

You will first need to decide if you should evacuate or take shelter. If the emergency is already underway, you will need to take shelter underground. If the emergency is pending, but likely, you should evacuate to a safe area without delay. Television and radio reports as well as the local law enforcement should be able to help you make this decision.

On an individual scale, one means of preparation for exposure to nuclear fallout is to obtain potassium iodide (KI) tablets as a safety measure to protect the human thyroid gland from the uptake of dangerous radioactive iodine. Another measure is to cover the nose, mouth and eyes with a piece of cloth and sunglasses to protect against alpha particles.

j. Rock or snow avalanche

Rock Avalanche

Quickly exit the affected area. If escape is not possible, curl into a tight ball facing downhill (with your back to the oncoming rocks) and cover your head. When the landslide ends, check for trapped or injured persons without entering the slide area (more debris could follow). Direct rescue personel to any victims you are able to locate. Watch for flooding - landslides are usually triggered by water. Watch for broken utility lines (electric, gas, and water) and report them to the authorities.

Snow

It is better to not travel in avalanche country, but if travel is necessary, risk can be reduced by observing avalanche safety rules and carrying proper equipment. This includes a radio beacon on every member of your party, and shovels. Radio beacons made for this purpose transmit constantly, and can be switched to receiver mode after an avalanche. These can help to find buried victims. Finding victims quickly and digging them out greatly increases their chances of survival. Avalanch snow compacts into a very hard mass very quickly after an avalanche, so a shovel is an essential piece of gear. It is next to impossible to dig someone out of an avalanche with bare hands or even with a ski, but if that is all you have available, you should start right away.

k. Your boat or canoe capsizes in open water

Get as much of your body out of the water as quickly as possible. Get back to the boat immediately. If possible, right the boat, climb in, and bail it out. Otherwise, stay with the boat, as this will make it easier for a rescuer to find you. Do not attempt to swim to shore, as it is often a lot farther away than it appears.

2. When telephoning for help in an emergency situation, what essential information should be given and who should hang the telephone up last?

Give your name, phone number, the nature of emergency, the location of the emergency, whether any personal dangers or injuries are present. The person making the call to report an emergency should be the last to hang up the telephone.

3. Demonstrate what emergency first aid measures you should take in the following situations.

a. Someone's clothes catch on fire

Get the person to the ground and roll him over and over on the ground. Another option is to wrap the victim with a blanket if one is handy.

b. A severely bleeding wound

Apply a sterile dressing, clean cloth, or handkerchirf to the wound. Then put protective gloves on an place the palm of your hand directly over the wound and apply pressure and keep the person calm. Continue to apply pressure until help arrives

c. Someone is choking

Determine if the person can speak or cough. If not, perform abdominal thrust (Heimlich Maneuver) repeatedly until the foreign body is expelled. A chest thrust may be used for markedly obese persons or in late stages of pregnancy. If the person or child becomes unresponsive perform CPR - if you see an object in the throat or mouth, remove it.

d. Someone swallows poison

With poison container in hand, call the local poison control center and do NOT try to make the patient vomit. Only induce vomiting if a poison center worker or a doctor advises you to do so.

4. Do the following:

a. Draw an escape route for your family in case of fire in your home when your normal exits are blocked.

Start by making a map of your house. Draw at least two escape routes for every room, making sure that the two routes do not cross a common area - otherwise, if the common area is affected you will not have a workable escape route.

b. Practice with your family a home fire drill.

Arrange this with your family ahead of time. Choose a meeting place well away from the house so that if a real fire occurs, everyone will know to go there, and if anyone is missing, it can be assumed that they are still in the house. Go over the escape routes with everyone.

c. Discuss with your examiner the procedures for safely getting people out of your church and school in case of a fire. Consideration should be given as to how to prevent panic.

Panic usually occurs because a person does not know how to react in a dangerous situation. Having a plan in place before an emergency occurs will help control panic. Practicing the plan ahead of time (such as with a fire drill) reinforces the plan in everyone's minds, so that the situation will feel more famliar if it really happens. Rather than thinking "Oh no! What do I do?!" a practiced person will think "Oh, yes. I know what to do."

If you find yourself in an emergency and feel yourself beginning to panic, try to calm down and use your head. Panic will only make things worse. If you see others beginning to panic, touch them, tell them to calm down, and tell them exactly what they should do. If they see that you are not in a panic and seem to know what to do, they will likely follow.

The best way to quickly evacuate a crowded building such as a church or a school is for everyone to calmly walk out in an orderly fashion. If everyone runs, panic is more likely to take over, and the exits will become jammed as people attempt to squeeze around one another. People have been killed by crowds stampeding out of a building in a panic.

5. What should you and your parents do to prevent abduction of children in your family? What should you do if you are abducted?

Know where your children are all the time. Never leave children alone in cars. Establish a family code word. Tell the children never to go with anyone who does not know the code word. Have fingerprints taken of your children. Keep current photos and records (dental/medical). Make mental note of what your child wears every day. Make sure your children know their address and telephone number, and how to use the telephone. Teach them how to dial 9-1-1.

What to do if abducted: Yell - this person is not my father or mother. Kick the kidnapper's foot or knee. Scream "Fire!" as this is more likely to attract attention than screaming "Help!"

References

• http://www.fema.gov/kids/
• http://www.nilesema.com/landslidetips.htm