Would you know what to do in an emergency?

You never know what’s around the corner. And sometimes that’s for the best. Why spend your life worrying about things that may never happen?

Much better to make the most of every day and deal with anything else as and when it happens.

But it doesn’t harm to be prepared for if and when things do go wrong. Just so that you would know what to do in an emergency rather than panicking and perhaps losing vital time.

So here is a very quick guide about some of the main things to do in various kinds of emergencies. Every situation is different, but at least you will have an idea of how to go about getting help and sorting things out. 

We will look at five different emergencies:

• Fire or flood at your home
• Medical emergency
• Major accident
• Someone has died
• Crime incident

Fire or flood at your home

We’ve all seen horrific reports on the news of homes being devastated by fire or flood. Hopefully it will never happen to you, but here are a few things to remember if the worst does happen.

• Do what you can in advance to check and minimise the risk of this happening:
  • Fires
    • Make sure that your home has sufficient working fire alarms, so that you are warned immediately of any fire breakout.
    • Have one or more fire extinguishers to tackle very small fires if necessary. But don’t try to fight a fire if there is any doubt in your mind : always be safe, not sorry.
  • Floods
    • Determine the level of risk by finding out whether your home is in a flood zone. You can also sign up for flood warnings to stay up to date with relevant information.
    • You can also take measures to protect your home from flooding. These include:
      • Attaching floorboards to your doors and windows.
      • Using plastic covers to seal air bricks.
      • Placing sandbags outside your home.

• If the worst should happen, get everyone out. Leave belongings behind. Particularly in the case of fire, there is no time to waste. Close doors behind you if it is safe to do so. 
• Let everyone around know immediately that there is a fire or flood. 
• Call the emergency services. If you don’t have your phone, don’t go back to look for it – ask a neighbour to help. 
• Find a place of safety. It is always a good idea to think through in advance where you would go in this kind of situation. In the case of a major event, emergency and community services will provide somewhere for you to shelter at last in the short term.

Once you are all safe, the next thing to do is contact your insurance company for advice as to what to do next. Do not try to return home at all until you get the all clear from the emergency services, and you are likely to need a safety inspection by the utility companies before being able to return home permanently.

Medical emergency

If there is any kind of medical emergency either in your home or when you are out and about, the two main things to do are:

• Call for help straight away 

If you or someone with you either begins to feel very unwell or to display worrying symptoms – such as heart attack symptoms – don’t delay. Call for help. 

No-one likes to make a fuss, and it can feel easier just to wait and see what happens rather than escalating things immediately. But it is always better to be safe than sorry. Be guided by the NHS website, which states “Do not worry if you have doubts. Paramedics would rather be called out to find an honest mistake has been made than be too late to save a person’s life.”

• Do what you can to provide immediate assistance until help arrives.

If you think you would be helpless in a medical emergency, then why not invest a bit of time in learning the basics of first aid. Organisations such as St Johns Ambulance run first aid courses for the public, so it is worth checking out the courses available near you.

It is particularly critical to know how to do CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) and to be prepared to give it a try if someone’s unconscious and not breathing normally. You could save a life. The NHS and also organisations such as The British Heart Foundation and St Johns Ambulance have guidance on how to do CPR. 

Major accident

If you are involved in – or witness – any kind of accident, the first thing you need to do is to make sure the police have been called. In all the confusion, everyone may assume that someone else is doing it. Also call ambulances if people have been hurt.

The most common type of accident is a car accident, and our article What to do in a car accident explains exactly what to do in this situation. 

But there are also many other causes of accidents, such as falls, being injured or trapped by falling objects, contact with machinery or electricity, or some kind of explosion. 

In all of these cases the things you can do to help are:

• Call the police and ambulance (as above).
• Ensure the victim of the accident is not in danger of further harm. If the victim can’t be moved, some kind of protection needs to be placed around them so that nothing else can harm them. If the accident involves electricity or machinery this needs to be turned off.
• Administer basic first aid if needed, and if you can reach the person to do this without causing further harm.
• Keep the victim as warm and comfortable as possible, give water if appropriate, and keep them awake and talking.
• If possible, find out from the victim if there is anyone they would like you to contact.

Also be prepared to give your details to the police as a witness. It can also help to take photographs of the accident scene to help show how the accident happened and what damage has been caused. 

Someone has died

Death is a natural part of life, but most of us wouldn’t know what to do if someone dies. And hopefully you won’t need the information for quite a while. 

But just be aware of the five key steps to take in this situation:

• Contact the authorities

If someone dies at home unexpectedly, you need to call the police and an ambulance. If the death is expected, call the family GP. In the latter case, the body may be removed by the funeral director.

• Get a medical certificate

If someone dies in hospital, the hospital will provide this. Otherwise, call their GP to obtain one.

• Register the death

This has to be done within 5 days (8 days in Scotland) – this includes weekends and bank holidays. You need to do this at a register office. You can find details of your local register office on the Gov UK website. You will be given either a certificate for a burial or an application for cremation which you will need to arrange the funeral

• Arrange the funeral

You can either use a funeral director – try searching NAFD or SAIF – or arrange the funeral yourself with your local crematorium. 

Financial help is available for funerals. First of all, check whether the deceased person had any funeral plan in place. You may also be eligible for a Funeral Expenses Payment if you receive certain benefits. Find more details on the Gov UK website.

• Tell the government

When you register the death, you will be given a reference number for the government’s Tell Us Once service. This enables you to inform various government departments about the death, including:

• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) 
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
• Passport Office
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
• Your local council

These organisations will then cancel all the relevant documents, communication and financial arrangements relating to the person who has died.

Crime incident

If you witness any kind of crime being committed, the main things to do are to contact the police – and emergency services if needed – and also ensure that you yourself are in a place of safety. Much of the advice in the Major Accident section above would then also apply.

But it is also very important to ensure your own protection when you are out and about to ensure that you do not become a victim of crime yourself. Five ways to do this are:

• Be confident – know where you are going and stride along purposefully rather than being hesitant.
• Be with others – where possible, travel around with others, especially at night. Or if you can’t do this, look for a phone app that enables you to stay in touch with others whilst on the move, and contact them quickly in case of emergency.
• Be aware – always check what is going on around you rather than listening to headphones or getting absorbed in your phone.
• Be careful – it’s best to carry as little as possible and keep valuables out of sight at all times.
• Be prepared to ask for help – if you are concerned about someone else’s behaviour, don’t take a risk. Either get quickly to a place of safety such as a shop, pub or restaurant and phone a friend. Or ask for help from other people nearby.

We hope that the information in this article will help you to know what to do in the unfortunate event of an emergency. And if there is any situation where you need money quickly to sort out an urgent situation, remember that an emergency loan from Loans 2 Go may be able to help.

Do visit us here again soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from Loans 2 Go.