For Daylight Savings: Check Smoke Alarms & Fire Safety Checklist

To quote our former EMS Safety Expert Greg Atwood in his post A Little Change & Prep Now, a Year of Safety for Your Family:

“when the clocks change, its time to change the batteries in all of your detectors in your home, whether they be smoke or gas detectors. A properly functioning detector is key in the safety of you and your family in early trouble detection from smoke, flames and harmful gases in your home day and night. So please do not put this off, it only takes a few minutes and can make all the difference in the world and while you are at it, maybe you can make a fun family fire drill out of testing your new batteries in your detectors”.

 

**Our thanks to the wonderful folks at Safe Kids Worldwide and Nationwide for providing us with this terrific Fire Safety Checklist

 

Uncommon Halloween Safety Tips: What EMS Wants You to Know

Halloween time is an exciting time for parents and kids. Halloween means parents and children decorating houses and lawns, picking out costumes and planning the inevitable trick or treating. Halloween time and specifically Halloween night is an exciting time for EMS and hospitals …but not in a good way. Exciting to us means BUSY and there are things that we bring into the ER every year that makes us and the ER staff members shake our heads …things that hopefully – with these safety tips – parents will now think twice about.

1. Candy and food allergies: We all know we should check the candy our kids get and make sure it looks safe, but did you know you should also check for contents that could cause allergic reactions. Many candies have nuts and they get missed.
2. Costumes and face paint irritants. Face paint is great and looks cool but the time to test it is not on Halloween night when it’s dark and you can’t see any reactions like a rash or breathing problems caused by full costume. Colored contact lenses should be added to this list. Kids like to wear them with costumes and if doing so should be made aware of what to watch for like irritations and damage to their eyes and taught how to put them on and take them out properly.
3. Real Props. Cuts, pokes, scrapes and real trauma from kids and adults using REAL PROPS. Using a plastic knife or pitchfork is ok. Using real knives and pitchforks should not happen at all but especially around children. A no brainer…but it happens.
4. Letting kids wander alone. Letting your child wonder alone is your choice, all I can add to this is please think about who is going to speak for your child in the ER if YOU are not around.
5. Broken Bones. Kids should have costumes they can move in and enjoy themselves in. If your child cannot walk correctly or has trouble with then it should be changed so as to avoid trip, falls and possible broken bones.
6. Carving Pumpkins. Many children end up in the ER every year with serious cuts from carving pumpkins with sharp objects that are not meant for carving or were left unattended. Make sure kids are supervised and tools put away.
7. Using Real Candles in Decorations. Real candles add a certain effect to the decoration but also bring a danger of surrounding objects catching fire if decorations are bumped or knocked over or left unattended. There are many brands of colored lights that can be put in decorations that bring a great effect and pose no threat to any one or home.
8. Hayrides. Every child loves a hayride and they are great but like any ride and everyone should be secure, not just children. Injuries are mostly from falls and can be serious. Security, proper seating and slow speed should be requirements.
9. Home Decorations. Decorating your home for Halloween can involve dark or no lighting and lawn inflatables. A dark home with ropes all over the place securing decorations do not mix well with trick or treaters that will trip and fall and possible injure themselves. There is nothing wrong with decorations, just try to make sure you don’t create a hazard at the same time.

All of the things outlined above can be avoided with planning and supervision. However, all of the things above become more possible when drinking and alcohol are involved. AAA and State Farm consider Halloween night one of the biggest drinking nights of the year and the deadliest night of the year for pedestrians with the rate of pedestrians struck by cars doubling. So please be careful and have fun!

Thanks!

Stop, Look & Paws: Teaching Kids How to Be Safe Around Dogs

We’ve all seen or heard about horrific instances of dog bites to children. I think most of us believe it will never happen to us. Until I became a dog trainer and was doing research on children and dogs, I didn’t realize the alarming statistics of dog bites to children.

According to the CDC and Humane Society of the United States:

• Annually there are 4.5 million dogs bites in the U.S., with over half to children
• 77% of the bites are from dogs that are familiar to the child
• Children ages 5-9 have the highest rate of dog bites

In my role as a dog trainer, I work with families that have children and dogs. When I meet with families, I often discover they are unaware of the potential risks when interacting with dogs, and, what dogs are trying to communicate. Specifically, almost without exception, the children really had no idea how to read their dog’s body language or the situations in which the dogs were engaged. Depending on the child’s interpretation of the dog’s actions, they could easily put themselves in harm’s way. For example, let’s say a child sees a dog, and assumes that the dog looks “lonely”. Many times people confuse cautiousness/fear with loneliness. If the child tries to approach and pet the dog to comfort her, the dog may react with a nip to communicate “stay away.” This is especially true when a dog is hiding under an object or piece of furniture.

To fill this critical gap, I searched for tools and activities that would help teach children about dog body language and safety. As a former elementary school teacher, I knew the best way to help children learn is to use an interactive activity that is fun and simple to use. Unfortunately, after months of looking, I couldn’t find anything that had these elements for learning. So, I decided to create my own learning activity called Stop, Look & Paws™.

Stop, Look & Paws™ is a dog safety activity that children play by sorting stickers. Children look at images of dog stickers which either show a common situation (e.g., eating from a dog bowl), or exhibiting specific body language (e.g., tail tucked down between legs). The goal is to ask children to sort the stickers onto an activity board into either the “safe to pet” or “not safe to pet” categories. Children love the hands on part and stickers. A “Dog Sticker Guide” is included to assist parents with background knowledge on each dog sticker. There is productive dialogue between the child and adult while playing the activity. This allows for understanding why the child chose the category they did, and how to correct their decision if needed. Given the stickers are reusable, they can change their mind, and play the game more than once to benefit from repetitive learning.

Since 2017, when Stop, Look & Paws™ was introduced to the public, hundreds of parents have used this with overwhelmingly positive feedback. In addition, veterinarians and educators have been extremely supportive of Stop, Look & Paws™ to effectively teach dog safety to children between the ages of 4 – 10. While each comment I receive is slightly different, the message is the same: If kids can have fun while learning the all-important lessons about dog behavior and safety, there is a better chance of preventing future dog bites.

My hope is that families use Stop, Look & Paws™ to educate their children before a dog bite occurs. Help your child understand that every dog is unique, and that it’s best to be thoughtful when interacting with them. I believe it’s very important to begin reducing the 4.7 million dog bites that happen each year.

HEALTHFUL HINTS:

Educate yourself about dog body language and how dogs communicate so you can share this information with your child.

• I’ve written several blog posts to help you learn how to identify what your dog is communicating.
• Here are a several more sites to get some additional education on dog body language. The first one has a quiz so you can test your knowledge.
  • Recognize a Dog’s Body Language Before Your Child Gets Bitten
  • Speak! How to Read a Dog’s Body Language
  • How To Read Your Dog’s Body Language: Body Language Basics
  • Understanding Dog Body Language – Learn how to read dogs behavior better (video)

Here are the Top 6 Dog Safety Tips that every child should know:

1. Ask permission of the owner before petting a dog, and pet calmly. Model this for your child.
2. Try the 3 second rule. If you pet a dog, stop after 3 seconds and pull your hand away. If the dog then moves closer to you, you can continue to pet!
3. Don’t approach an unfamiliar dog.
4. No hugging. Hugging is a sign of love in the human world, but not in the dog world.
5. Don’t pursue a dog that is trying to move away.
6. If a dog is pursuing your child, have your child stand still, tuck their arms and hands and look away until the dog moves away. Then they can walk away slowly.

Child Sports Injuries: How to Prevent and Treat The Most Common

The school year will soon be upon us and with the return of homework and uniforms means the return of sports. 38 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports in the United States each year. Still more participate in informal recreational activities. Although sports participation provides numerous physical and social benefits, it also has a downside: the risk of sports-related injuries. In fact, according to a 2002 report by the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 1.9 million children under 15 were treated in emergency departments the year before for sports-related injuries.

These injuries are by far the most common cause of musculoskeletal injuries in children treated in emergency departments. They are also the single most common cause of injury-related primary care office visits.

I. The Most Common Sports-Related Injuries in Kids

Although sports injuries can range from scrapes and bruises to serious brain and spinal cord injuries, most fall somewhere between the two extremes. Here are some of the more common types of injuries.

Sprains and Strains

A sprain is an injury to a ligament, one of the bands of tough, fibrous tissue that connects two or more bones at a joint and prevents excessive movement of the joint. An ankle sprain is the most common athletic injury.

A strain is an injury to either a muscle or a tendon. A muscle is a tissue composed of bundles of specialized cells that, when stimulated by nerve messages, contract and produce movement. A tendon is a tough, fibrous cord of tissue that connects muscle to bone. Muscles in any part of the body can be injured.

Growth Plate Injuries

In some sports accidents and injuries, the growth plate may be injured. The growth plate is the area of developing tissues at the end of the long bones in growing children and adolescents. When growth is complete, sometime during adolescence, the growth plate is replaced by solid bone. The long bones in the body include:

• the long bones of the hand and fingers (metacarpals and phalanges)
• both bones of the forearm (radius and ulna)
• the bone of the upper leg (femur)
• the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula)
• the foot bones (metatarsals and phalanges).

If any of these areas become injured, it’s important to seek professional help from an orthopaedic surgeon, a doctor who specializes in bone injuries.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

Painful injuries such as stress fractures (a hairline fracture of the bone that has been subjected to repeated stress) and tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon) can occur from overuse of muscles and tendons. Some of these injuries don’t always show up on x rays, but they do cause pain and discomfort. The injured area usually responds to rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE). Other treatments can include crutches, cast immobilization, and physical therapy.

Heat-Related Illnesses

Heat-related illnesses include:

• dehydration (deficit in body fluids)
• heat exhaustion (nausea, dizziness, weakness, headache, pale and moist skin, heavy perspiration, normal or low body temperature, weak pulse, dilated pupils, disorientation, and fainting spells)
• heat stroke (headache, dizziness, confusion, and hot dry skin, possibly leading to vascular collapse, coma, and death).

Heat injuries are always dangerous and can be fatal. Heat-related injuries are a particular problem for children because children perspire less than adults and require a higher core body temperature to trigger sweating. Playing rigorous sports in the heat requires close monitoring of both body and weather conditions. Fortunately, heat-related illnesses can be prevented.

II. Preventing and Treating Injuries

Injuries can happen to any child who plays sports, but there are some things that can help prevent and treat injuries.

Prevention Basics

• Enroll your child in organized sports through schools, community clubs, and recreation areas that are properly maintained. Any organized team activity should demonstrate a commitment to injury prevention. Coaches should be trained in first aid and CPR, and should have a plan for responding to emergencies. Coaches should be well versed in the proper use of equipment, and should enforce rules on equipment use.
• Organized sports programs may have adults on staff who are Certified Athletic Trainers. These individuals are trained to prevent, recognize, and provide immediate care for athletic injuries.
• Make sure your child has—and consistently uses—proper gear for a particular sport. This may reduce the chances of being injured.
• Make warm-ups and cool downs part of your child’s routine before and after sports participation. Warm-up exercises, such as stretching and light jogging, can help minimize the chance of muscle strain or other soft tissue injury during sports. Warm-up exercises make the body’s tissues warmer and more flexible. Cool down exercises loosen muscles that have tightened during exercise.
• Make sure your child has access to water or a sports drink while playing. Encourage him or her to drink frequently and stay properly hydrated. Remember to include sunscreen and a hat (when possible) to reduce the chance of sunburn, which is a type of injury to the skin. Sun protection may also decrease the chances of malignant melanoma—a potentially deadly skin cancer—or other skin cancers that can occur later in life.
• Learn and follow safety rules and suggestions for your child’s particular sport. You’ll find some more sport-specific safety suggestions below.

Primary Treatment

Treatment for sports-related injuries will vary by injury. But if your child suffers a soft tissue injury (such as a sprain or strain) or a bone injury, the best immediate treatment is easy to remember: RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) the injury (see below). Get professional treatment if any injury is severe. A severe injury means having an obvious fracture or dislocation of a joint, prolonged swelling, or prolonged or severe pain.

Treat Injuries with “RICE”

• Rest: Reduce or stop using the injured area for at least 48 hours. If you have a leg injury, you may need to stay off of it completely.
• Ice: Put an ice pack on the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, four to eight times per day. Use a cold pack, ice bag, or a plastic bag filled with crushed ice that has been wrapped in a towel.
• Compression: Ask your child’s doctor about elastics wraps, air casts, special boots, or splints that can be used to compress an injured ankle, knee, or wrist to reduce swelling.
• Elevation: Keep the injured area elevated above the level of the heart to help decrease swelling. Use a pillow to help elevate an injured limb.

For Basketball…

• Common injuries and locations: sprains; strains; bruises; fractures; scrapes; dislocations; cuts; injuries to teeth, ankles and knees. (Injury rates are higher in girls, especially for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the wide ligament that limits rotation and forward movement of the shin bone.)
• Safest playing with: eye protection, elbow and knee pads, mouth guard, athletic supporters for males, proper shoes, water. If playing outdoors, wear sunscreen and, when possible, a hat.
• Injury prevention: strength training (particularly knees and shoulders), aerobics (exercises that develop the strength and endurance of heart and lungs), warmup exercises, proper coaching, and use of safety equipment.

For Track and Field…

• Common injuries: strains, sprains, scrapes from falls.
• Safest playing with: proper shoes, athletic supporters for males, sunscreen, water.
• Injury prevention: proper conditioning and coaching.

For Football…

• Common injuries and locations: bruises; sprains; strains; pulled muscles; tears to soft tissues such as ligaments; broken bones; internal injures (bruised or damaged organs); concussions; back injuries; sunburn. Knees and ankles are the most common injury sites.
• Safest playing with: helmet; mouth guard; shoulder pads; athletic supporters for males; chest/rib pads; forearm, elbow, and thigh pads; shin guards; proper shoes; sunscreen; water.
• Injury prevention: proper use of safety equipment, warmup exercises, proper coaching techniques and conditioning.

For Baseball and Softball…

• Common injuries: soft tissue strains; impact injuries that include fractures caused by sliding and being hit by a ball; sunburn.
• Safest playing with: batting helmet; shin guards; elbow guards; athletic supporters for males; mouth guard; sunscreen; cleats; hat; detachable,“breakaway bases” rather than traditional, stationary ones.
• Injury prevention: proper conditioning and warmups.

For Soccer…

• Common injuries: bruises, cuts and scrapes, headaches, sunburn.
• Safest playing with: shin guards, athletic supporters for males, cleats, sunscreen, water.
• Injury prevention: aerobic conditioning and warmups, and proper training in “heading” (that is, using the head to strike or make a play with the ball).

For Gymnastics…

• Common injuries: sprains and strains of soft tissues.
• Safest playing with: athletic supporters for males, safety harness, joint supports (such as neoprene wraps), water.
• Injury prevention: proper conditioning and warmups.

III. Safety Tips for ALL Sports

• Be in proper physical condition to play the sport.
• Follow the rules of the sport.
• Wear appropriate protective gear (for example, shin guards for soccer, a hard-shell helmet when facing a baseball or softball pitcher, a helmet and body padding for ice hockey).
• Know how to use athletic equipment.
• Always warm up before playing.
• Avoid playing when very tired or in pain.
• Get a preseason physical examination.
• Make sure adequate water or other liquids are available to maintain proper hydration.

Adapted from Play It Safe, a Guide to Safety for Young Athletes, with permission of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Play It Safe in the Heat

• Schedule regular fluid breaks during practice and games. Kids need to drink 8 ounces of fluid—preferably water—every 20 minutes, and more after playing.
• Have your child wear light-colored,“breathable” clothing.
• Make player substitutions more frequently in the heat.
• Use misting sprays on the body to keep cool.
• Know the signs of heat-related problems, including confusion; dilated pupils; dizziness; fainting; headache; heavy perspiration; nausea; pale and moist or hot, dry skin; weak pulse; and weakness. If your child experiences any combination of these symptoms or doesn’t seem quite right, seek medical attention immediately.

Adapted with permission from Patient Care magazine, copyrighted by Medical Economics.

Please keep your children active and safe and have a great school year.

 

Kids and Medication: What Parents Should Know to Avoid Errors

Let’s discuss medication use in children because many parents feel that an office visit to the Doctor for their child is not complete without a medication to use regardless of the cause for the visit.

First, many Doctors are getting away from using medications of all kinds for minor illnesses. Antibiotics are not effective for the most common infections seen in Children, viruses. Typical “cold medicines are found to have side effects: these adverse effects include, but are not limited to irritability, loss of appetite, poor sleep and restlessness to name a few. Antibiotics are becoming even ineffective against certain bacteria because of over use and development of resistances to those antibiotics. Those people who may contract an infection for which the choices of antibiotics have become limited potentially pose a problem for every one.

Next a few “rules of the road” when using any medication on children:

1. Children are not to be considered “ just small adults” when given any medicines- the dosages are calculated differently, they react to medicines in a different way than adults, the illnesses to be treated are not necessarily the same in adults and children, side effects of these medications can appear different in adults and children. Never look at your child and try to calculate any dosage based on a percentage of your own weight, or any side effects that you may have.
2. Just because a child has an illness does not mean that “medicine” is necessary. There are some who reach for the medicine cabinet as soon as their child sneezes or exhibits a runny nose, or cough. Given what I explained above, this is certainly not necessary and in some cases may make things worse. Same thing occurs with onset of fever and this has been discussed previously, not all fevers require medication to lower them.
3. Learn some easy measurements:

• 1 cc or 1 ml is 1/5 of a teaspoon which is 5ccs
• 5ccs or one teaspoon is 1/3 of a tablespoon which is 15 cc
• 30cc is approximately one ounce, and 8 ounces is a cup
• 1000 cc’s equals one liter or a little more than a quart
• 16 ounces = 1 pint and 32 ounces = 1 quart
• 4 quarts = 1 gallon

It is good to know these equivalents but be sure you totally understand the instructions for a medicine before you leave the pharmacy, and be sure the pharmacist has supplied you with the correct measuring utensil. These can come as accurate little measuring spoons or even syringes measured in cc’s. A kitchen teaspoon or tablespoon is not very accurate and is often not close enough for the required measurement. Ask the pharmacist about this before you leave the pharmacy and don’t use a kitchen teaspoon or tablespoon for your child’s medicine unless they say it will be ok.

4. When giving your child medication according to a schedule, write the times and dosage down as a reminder and save any dosing instructions until they have completed the entire prescription. If they accidentally miss a dose, in “most cases” (unless these are cardiac meds or similar) it will likely not make a difference, however I recommend checking the dosing instructions just to make sure your doctor has not specified “not to skip a dose” in which case you should probably give the dose when you think of it. If in doubt contact your child’s doctor or the pharmacy.

Your child will be happier and safer if you remember these few things

Personal WaterCraft & Kids: How to Make Them Fun AND Safe!

Summer is fast approaching and that means that thousands of children will be hitting the water looking to go fast! Summer is the time to think about the beach and being outside and speeding around oceans, lakes or canals in PWC or personal watercrafts. PWC have steadily risen in ownership in the U.S to well over a million and with that increase in ownership come’s an increase in operators and injuries to the tune of over 12,000 documented injuries annually. Most injuries seem to occur when PWC collide—either with other vessels including other PWC or with fixed objects such as docks or tree stumps. Behavioral factors cited in 3 studies include operator inexperience (most operators had <20 hours of experience in boat operation), operator inattention, and excess speed or reckless operation. Some PWC can seat as many as 3 people and hit speeds of 60 mph. PWC are the only recreational boats for which the leading cause of death is not drowning; most fatalities result from blunt trauma.

The answer to the question of how to keep our children safe on the water seems to be the same as it has been for quite some time. Education and hands on practice. We need to educate our children and ourselves on water safety, both in and out of the water and both for operating and riding on a PWC. The Personal Watercraft Industry Association has the following recommendations:

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. No one younger than 16 years should operate PWC.
2. The operator and every passenger must wear a US Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device.
3. Alcohol or other drug use should be avoided before and while operating PWC.
4. Participation in a safe boater course with specific information about PWC should be required before operating PWC.
5. Safe operating practices, such as no operation between sunset and sunrise, no wake jumping, and observing posted speed limits or no-wake zones, should be followed. (No-wake zone means the craft speed is slow enough that no wake is formed behind the craft as it crosses a specific area.)
6. PWC should not be operated where swimmers are in the water.
7. If a PWC is being used to tow another person on skis, knee boards, tubes, or other devices, a second person must face the rear to monitor the person being towed.
8. All persons who rent PWC should be required to comply with these recommendations.
9. Protective equipment such as wet suits, gloves, boots, eyewear, and helmets may be appropriate to wear.

When it comes to PWC, owning and operating a PWC is the same as owning and operating a car and should be treated with the same amount of respect. Would you hand over your car keys to your child who has little to no driver training? Of course not and the same should hold true when it comes to any PWC. The numbers don’t lie. Everyone needs PWC drivers Ed. Putting in the time before hand will save a lot of pain and suffering during what should be the most fun time of the year for kids.

Thank you and be safe

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on Pediatric Safety in April 2013. We thought now might be a good time to revisit it.

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