Help children understand 911

Bill Wilson

Wednesday, April 1, 2009 | 1:34 p.m.

As it so happens, April is National 911 month!

Everyone needs to know about calling 911 in an emergency. But, children in particular need specifies about what an emergency is. Asking your child, "What would you do if we had a fire in our house?" or "What would you do if you saw someone trying to break in?" gives you a chance to discuss what constitutes an emergency and what should be done if one occurs. Role playing is an especially good way to address various emergency scenarios and give your child the confidence he or she will need to handle them.

For younger children, it might also help to talk about who the emergency workers are in Boulder City — police officers, firefighters and paramedics — and what kinds of things they do to help people who are in trouble. This will paint a clear picture for your little one of not only what types of emergencies can occur, but also who can help.

Make sure your child understands that calling 911 as a joke is a crime in Boulder City. Stress that whenever an unnecessary call is made to 911, it can delay a response to someone who actually needs it.

Every child, of school age should memorize their home address. Then you may have mock phone conversations pretending to be a 911 operator.

Many adults have doubts and questions as to when they should call for an ambulance. The Boulder City Fire Department suggest you ask yourself the following questions.

• When someone is sick or injured, is the victim's condition life threatening?
• Could the victim's condition worsen and become life threatening on the way to the hospital?
• Could moving the victim cause further injury?
• Does the victim need the skill or equipment of Paramedics or Emergency Medical Technicians?
• Would distance or traffic conditions cause a delay in getting the victim to the hospital?
• If you are thinking of driving a victim to the Emergency Room, keep in mind that not all hospital E.R.'s can handle every illness or injury. Some hospitals specialize in certain types of patients or conditions.

Finally if you are calling 911 from a cellular phone, you may get the City of Las Vegas Metro Dispatch. If you do, state you are calling from Boulder City and the call will be transferred to Boulder City Police/Fire/EMS Dispatch. If you have any questions call the Boulder City Fire Department at 293-9228.

Bill Wilson, a firefighter-paramedic for the Boulder City Fire Department, can be reached at 293-9228.