EMS Week

[cdfireems]

This year my emergency squad will be going to the school for classes K-1. We need ideas on what to talk about/do with them. In the past we have showed them the ambulance, and what most the equip. does.. any new, fun ideas???

[Chief1C]

Give them all bicycle helmets.

[Don1977]

I agree with 4c. Explain bike safety or how to call 9-1-1 for emergencies.

[Richard B the EMT]

A little late for this year's EMS Week, but there are several manufacturers who make both "Junior EMT" and "Junior Paramedic" stickers and plastic badges. They can be customized to the name of your agency.

While I have everyone's attention:

Happy and Safe National EMS Week, Everyone!

[Gypsy]

Show them some of your equipment. Explain what things are and what they do. Don't get into details. Think meat and potatos hold the salt and butter type of thing. Should they ever see you on a call everything is scary as hell. What things do you know they will see no matter what? BP cuff, pen light, etc right? So bring that in. Heck let them take your vitals! Ok this sounds stupid I know. But if you show them the "scary monster tools" ( to quote Brett Jr a year ago) now while they know they are safe they will be less scared later.

When I did my pen pal project my kids loved it. They got to see the tools, learn what they were for, and a few even still remember. We did a few extreme basic drills. One parent has asthma, one smokes, and one of my kids is accident prone. So guess what we did? How to help mom find her rescue inhaler and call 911, how to get out of a house durning a fire and call 911, and how to take care of boo boos. Take in a run report and show them what you are looking for.

Always remember to keep your voice lively. Remember your rule of 3: males raise your voice 3 octives ( yes you want to sound like a hyper cheerleader). Jump, skip, run to places. The more cartoonish you act the more they will pick up at the younger ages.

Ok I'll take my preschool teacher hat off now.

[Chief1C]

A little late for this year's EMS Week

We say, Every Week, is Fire Prevention Week. You can never let your guard down, or fire will win the game. Sounds cheesy, but it's true. Just because next month doesn't have an EMS Week, doesn't mean you can't have an open house, etc. Maybe wait till a warm day in the summer. Have like a bicycle safety course set up for children, have your local police agency come in, and do a car seat safety check; BP Screenings. Talk to local practitioners, have them do like BGL Screenings, etc. Show a little of your history, where your agency came from, how it progressed, people love old pictures. Add some lite, healthy refreshments, maybe a massive sheet cake, and make it something you can be proud of. Like us, we only realize EMS week is coming up, because we start to get catalogs from "personalize this" companies. However, we participate in a county wide event, earlier in the year, b/c we haven't got the manpower to put on something that large on our own.

[HERBIE1]

A big hit in the classes I taught to kids was some type of a demonstration. When my daughter was in 2nd grade, I spoke to her class- the usual safety ideas- helmets, traffic safety, simple rules of the road, stop, drop and roll, meeting points, smoke detectors, basic first aid, what to say when calling 911. The biggest hit- using my daughter as a guinea pig. I set up a scenario- going to baseball practice/dance class/the grocery store, etc, and you get into a traffic accident, someone calls 911, and they see what happens.

Be creative and dramatic with the scenario- the story was important to the set up- they all love drama and a good story. I showed them what would happen to them once the ambulance arrived. Quick exam, vital signs, etc. I put on a C-collar, splinted her broken arm, and secured her to a backboard, and wrapped up her injuries. I even got the kids involved. They LOVED it. 3 years later I still hear how much the kids loved that day. My daughter earned major brownie points with her friends because she was so brave. LOL

You can even tailor the scenario to the older students. On the way home from a date, the driver was DUI. Make the injuries severe enough to scare them. Use the cardiac monitor, pretend you are starting an IV, "check" their glucose levels, etc. I saw a recent You tube video that showed a bus accident and how unrestrained folks fly around. It was VERY dramatic and showed the forces involved in an accident.

I found that just lecturing them makes their eyes glaze over- especially the older ones, but object lessons tend to get their attention. Of course, handing out goodies- stickers, pencils, books, fire hats, etc are always a big hit too.