How to stay safe during the holidays

4950 08.12.4 A child splashes around in the pool in a simulated drowning excercise. Charleen Daves (from Aqua Kids and Babes) teaches children from the 24/7 Christian Church about water safety and what to do in an emergency. Picture: Cara Viereckl SONY DSC

4950 08.12.4 A child splashes around in the pool in a simulated drowning excercise. Charleen Daves (from Aqua Kids and Babes) teaches children from the 24/7 Christian Church about water safety and what to do in an emergency. Picture: Cara Viereckl SONY DSC

Published Dec 31, 2013

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Johannesburg - Holidays are a time for fun and relaxation, but whether you’re away or staying at home, having your guard down can lead to accidents and injuries.

In many cases, preparation can make a difference between a holiday-ruining experience and a blimp on the road.

Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the festive season was one of the busiest because they responded to an increased number of fires, car accidents, drownings and flooding incidents.

He gave this advice for staying safe:

l Make sure that everyone in your house knows the emergency numbers. For a Telkom landline it’s 10177. From a cellphone, dial 112.

l Don’t leave children at home without adult supervision – they may be tempted to prepare food and expose themselves to dangerous situations.

l Never leave candles unattended and avoid using candle holders. Mulaudzi advised people to rather use old mayonnaise or peanut butter bottles filled with sand as candle holders to avoid candles falling over and starting fires.

l Paraffin must be stored in a container with a child-proof cap to avoid fires or children drinking it.

l If someone catches fire, they must immediately drop to the floor and roll around to extinguish the flames. The person mustn’t run around the room, as this will oxygenate the fire.

l If your house catches fire while you are inside, crawl low under the smoke and look for an exit door, then move out of the building. Remain outside until the fire department arrives,

l Don’t swim after drinking alcohol as this is one of the key causes of drowning.

l In terms of City of Joburg by-laws, people can use fireworks only between 11pm and 1am on New Year’s Eve.

“Parents must make sure that young children are supervised when they use fireworks. We have seen a number of incidents where people lost their fingers or hands when fireworks exploded while they were holding them,” said Mulaudzi.

Animals need to be watched carefully to prevent them being hurt if they panic because of the noise.

 

Graham Anderson, principal officer at Profmed medical aid scheme, has these holiday first-aid tips:

A well-stocked first aid kit should contain: absorbent gauze dressings; adhesive tape; antiseptic wipes; stretch bandages in various sizes; antibacterial ointment to promote wet healing – which is less painful and minimises scarring; cream for the treatment of bites, stings or other skin irritations; tweezers; a sharp pair of scissors; a thermometer; a few pairs of latex gloves; saline solution; eye drops; painkillers; antacids; antihistamines; anti-inflammatory cream; anti-diarrhoeals; gel ice pack; sterile gel burn dressings in various sizes; first-aid manual; and an emergency blanket.

When it comes to child-safe medication, stock up on painkillers, anti-inflammatories, anti-diarrhoeal and cold medication so that you can treat most ailments.

“Interesting sticky plasters with prints of children’s favourite cartoon characters are a good idea to keep minor cuts or scratches clean and to distract a child from their injury.”

Anderson reminds people to stock up on any prescription medication or items they might need for specific conditions so as to avoid having to track down a prescription during the holidays.

Be particularly mindful of taking along medication like antihistamines for bee sting allergies, which you don’t take all the time but will need to lay your hands on immediately a sting occurs.

If you are going somewhere where there are likely to be mosquitoes, take along an effective repellent, and make sure to check if you need malaria prophylaxis.

Anderson advises people do a first-aid course.

“Everyone, especially parents, should take a first-aid course to know exactly what to do at the scene of an accident or household or outdoor injury.

“St John’s, for example, runs excellent courses,” says Anderson, adding that once you have done such a course, there are additional first-aid items you may need, like a mouthpiece for performing CPR. - The Star

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