Every child believes they can fly at some point in their lives; the only difference is their height. When your child leaps from a tree branch, it's good to know how to deal with limp limbs in case something goes wrong.
Burns, scrapes, bites, fits, and other injuries are all the same. Because minor kid accidents are unavoidable, having an Emergency Response Plan in place at home for your family is a must.
We've administered some first aid, but if you're anything like us, the combination of blood, pain, and our children causes common sense to go away and terror to take over. As a result, we decided to get some assistance in putting together a simple plan that we can follow in the event of an emergency. Singapore First Aid Training Centre is here with sound safety advise for you and your family.
What you need to know about putting together an emergency response plan
1. Assess the nature of the emergency
When an accident occurs, the first thing you should do is assess the situation. What kind of injury or illness did you get?
Is there still a chance that your child or someone else will be hurt?
Is it possible to move your child or will you have to treat them as they are and provide a distraction for them?
2. Stay calm and carry on
If you keep your cool, your child is much more likely to as well and less likely to go into shock. Keep talking to them, explain what you’re doing and what’s going to happen and maintain eye contact.
Try to keep your child lucid and interactive also. If you have someone else present, ask them to sit with the child if you need to fetch things.
3. Get the first-aid kit out of the cupboard.
You may buy complete first aid kits from any reputable drugstore or put your own together with supplies from First Aid Supplies Singapore. To find out what you'll need to customize your own family first-aid kit, check out our First Aid Kit Certification Program.
If you buy a ready-made first-aid kit from a pharmacy, make sure to inspect the contents and add any missing supplies. Keep the kit in a convenient area in your home, but out of reach of children.
Review the contents on a regular basis and restock goods that have been used.
4. Treat the initial symptoms
Equip yourself with life-saving tools by learning first-aid, and how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The Singapore Red Cross Society, Singapore First Aid Training Centre, and St John Ambulance Association Singapore are several places that conduct life-saving courses.
Keep a step-by-step CPR chart on a wall in a central part of your home so that you can refer to it in an emergency.
Concussions: bumps to the head can be serious so monitor for symptoms of lethargy, bad headaches, confusion, repeated vomiting, and seizures.
Cuts: when bleeding occurs, apply pressure on the wound using sterilised gauze to stem the flow.
Choking: if your child is coughing then allow them to continue to try to dislodge the item themselves. Otherwise bend them forward or over your lap and strike them on the back between the shoulder blades several times. If this is unsuccessful, try chest thrusts.
Burns: Stop the burning process as quickly as possible. If there is a scald burn remove clothes as the hot water soaks into clothes. If clothes are stuck to burn do not remove. Apply cool running water to the burn for 20 mins. Do not use ice or lotions. If first aid is delayed, applying cool running water to the burn is still helpful up to 3 hours after the accident.
Fractures or breaks: apply an ice pack to the swollen area and minimise the injured person’s movements. Keep the area rigid and supported.
Allergic reactions: administer antihistamine medication or use an Epipen if one has been prescribed.
Bites: snake bites should have a firm tourniquet applied above the point of incision.
Impaled objects: hold the area with gauze to stem bloodflow and do not attempt to remove the item.
5. Call for help
If you need assistance after treating the initial symptoms, contact for assistance. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers posted on the wall near your phone. Your GP, nearest hospital, nearest hospital with a paediatric ICU, ambulance services, Singapore Civil Defence Force, taxi firms, and a neighbour or friend who can come to your help, mind other children, or take you to the hospital if necessary should all be on your list.
Teach your kids how to dial these emergency numbers by explaining what the digits indicate and when they should dial them especially If you aren't at home when difficulty arises.
6. Write up and post your plan
Consider all possibilities and put down an emergency reaction plan that everyone in your family can refer to. It should include measures for dealing with a medical emergency and be placed in a prominent location throughout the house.
Keep copies in your phone and at work in case you need to advise others over the phone or if you are involved in an accident while out and about.
7. Discuss and create awareness
Everyone in your family, including your assistant and other caregivers, has to understand the procedure and who to contact if a problem arises. This will save both time and lives while also reducing confusion.
Emphasise the importance of being vigilant about safety and simple ways to reduce risk and danger, such as avoiding hot items and power points, designating play areas, staying away from vehicles, asking for help when climbing or reaching items up high, crossing the road looking both ways, and getting down low if there is smoke, and so on.
8. Rehearse and role-play
Act out basic scenarios with your children to help them go through the process of evaluating, identifying, and reporting an emergency.
Recite your home address and important phone numbers together until they can commit them to memory.
Emergency hotlines in Singapore
Police: 999
Emergency ambulance and fire: 995
Non-emergency ambulance: 1777
Hospitals with Accident & Emergency (A&E) Services
Public hospitals
Alexandra Hospital: 6472 2000
KhooTeckPuat Hospital: 6555 8000
KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital: 6225 5554
National University Hospital: 6772 5000 / 6772 2555 (for children)
Singapore General Hospital: 6222 3322
Tan Tock Seng Hospital: 6357 8866
Private hospitals Raffles Hospital: 6311 1555 Parkway East Hospital: 6344 7588 Gleneagles Hospital: 6473 7222 Mount Elizabeth Hospital: 6737 2666 Mount Alvernia Hospital: 6347 6210 Thomson Medical Centre 24-hour family clinic: 6350 8812 West Point Hospital: 6262 5858
Essential First Aid Courses in Singapore
Add: 29 Bukit Pasoh Road Level 1, Singapore 089843