Every second is of utmost importance in an emergency. Time lost in figuring out your address, emergency contact number, or details about your family members can be vital to the situation. In many cases, this time could be the difference between life and death. This aspect is especially important for children. Firstly, children must know the important emergency numbers such as:
- 112 – National Emergency Number
- 100 – Police
- 101 – Fire
- 102 – Ambulance
- 1098 – child helpline number
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Children must keep these numbers handy just in case they find themselves, or someone around them, facing an unfortunate emergency. Ideally, children must be advised to learn these numbers by heart so that in case of a situation they don’t lose valuable time trying to figure out the emergency number to call.
Once they have called the correct emergency number, one of the most likely pieces of information that helpline operators need is some basic information about the child, such as – their home address, their current location, their parent’s names and their contact numbers. Without this information, the response team may not be able to provide the best and quickest response possible.
There are numerous cases wherein children get separated from their parents or guardians in crowded streets and when they are found by the police, they are not able to tell the police about their home address or any emergency contact numbers of their parents or guardians. In such cases the police are also helpless and will find it difficult, or will at least take more time, to reunite the child with their parents. Parents must spend some time to make sure their children memorise key informational details such as their home address and important emergency contact numbers. This initial investment of time and effort can prove extremely useful in any such unfortunate circumstances. If memorisation is difficult, or if the kids are too small, parents must ensure that these details are written down and presented somewhere on their person wherein they can access them in case of any such need. Many schools follow the policy of having all these details mentioned on the back of their student’s identity cards. This is a good practice for preschool kids and young children who may yet not be in a position to memorise and speak out their home addresses and emergency contact numbers of their parents or guardians. However, if the child can, it is of utmost importance for parents to insist that they memorise these key details so that they don’t have to lose time looking for them in case of any such unfortunate circumstances.
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It is rather unfortunate that even relatively grown-up children often have no idea about what to do and who to reach out to in a problem situation. Child trafficking, missing children, and kidnapping are some serious crimes that this world is unfortunately infested with. Many of these situations could be avoided if children know emergency contact numbers to call if and when they get a chance.
Having both working parents is a reality these days in families with kids. In such cases, it is not just important for the kids to know their home addresses but also the names and addresses of the companies their parents work at. During the day when kids are at school is a time when any such emergency might arise and in such cases it always helps if the children know the address of the place where their parents work.
Giving an accurate address helps the first responders at these emergency helplines, or any other help, to accurately locate where the child is and respond as fast as possible. Even a slightly inaccurate location can take away valuable time from the first responders and this time lost could well be the difference between the extent of damage the situation might cause, even life and death.
Children frequently visit various places of their interest, their friends’ places, play parks, etc. Parents need to make them aware of the locations they are present in. While in most cases they may not need it in a possible unfortunate emergency it can be of great value if the children know the address and location, even landmarks, of the area they are in. These indications could be of great help to the first responders in helping locate the child in distress or in need of immediate attention and help.
Helpline centres in India, and even globally, highlight this aspect. There are numerous stories where the responders could not appropriately help or save the young child just because the child was not able to provide the exact location or address, their home address, or even the contact details of their emergency contacts such as their parents, teachers, or guardians.
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At EuroSchool, we ensure we capture all the detailed information regarding the child’s home address, their emergency contact numbers and even the addresses of the place of work of their parents. These details are managed via computer-enabled software systems that help emergency response teams at EuroSchool ensure that our students get immediate and the required assistance in case an unfortunate emergency were to occur despite all the safety precautions and care we take at our campuses, and during transit between home and school.
