Every so often, I see a short piece on the TV news about a young child who saved someone’s life by calling 9-1-1. And when the reporter is asking the child to describe the emergency and say how they knew to call 9-1-1, I always wonder how many other children know this life-saving skill. Today, such a story was in the news again. So, I decided to compile a summary of how to teach your child to recognize real emergencies and how to get help by calling 9-1-1.
First and foremost, you child has to be at the right age and level of emotional maturity. If you start talking about emergencies to a child who is not ready, you very well might end up scaring them. If they are too young to recognize an emergency, they might only learn that pressing the buttons is fun. Either reaction is not productive. Studies have shown that somewhere between 3 and 5 years of age is when children have the necessary understanding and skills to learn about calling 9-1-1.
If you believe your child is ready, there are basically four things they need to learn:
- Who the emergency workers are in your community: Your child needs to know about police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses, etc., and what each one does to help people when they are in trouble.
- When to call 9-1-1: Your child needs to understand what is an emergency and what is not. I think it is easier to teach children a short list of real emergencies than to try to describe what is not. But be sure to cover these basic emergencies:
- A fire (and if it is in your house, to leave and call from somewhere else).
- Someone is unconscious following an accident or fall, or after taking some medicine.
- Someone is having trouble breathing or is choking.
- They see a crime happening, such as a break-in, or a fight or someone hurting someone else.
- They see a serious car accident.
- How to call 9-1-1: Dialing 9-1-1 can be different depending on the phone. For a house phone, it is simply pressing 9-1-1. For cell phones, there is usually a combination of buttons to hold or icons to press to automatically call 9-1-1. Make sure your child knows how to call from all the phones in your house. And always teach them it is Nine-One-One, not Nine Eleven, which can be confusing, maybe even prompting them to look for an eleven button on the phone.
- What to expect and what to say: First of all, they need know what the operator is going to say when they answer the call. They also need to be assured that they can give the person answering the phone personal information such as their name, address, and details of what happened. Lastly, then need to learn to answer the questions the emergency operator may ask about the nature of the emergency.
Learning when and how to get help during an emergency is a valuable skill every child needs to know. I cannot stress the importance of practicing multiple emergency situations with your child, so they become adept at the four things they need to know and how to quickly and successfully get help when it is truly needed.
Here are some additional resources to help you teach your children:
Calling 9-1-1:
Emergencies and Emergency Planning:
