Escapees March/April 2016

Tips

Read these and other tips online at www.escapees.com/articles-and-blogs

Tips Helpful Hints, Ideas and Solutions for Today’s RVer

• Opinions, advice and information contained in “Tips” are offered solely to inform members about matters that may be of assis- tance or interest to them. Material is compiled from submissions from Escapees members who do their own research. Escapees RV Club accepts no responsibility for what is expressed here by any person, group or company. • E-mailed submissions can be sent to departmentseditor@escapees.com . Because of the large volume of material, we may not acknowledge receipt of material. If accepted, submissions will be edited for magazine style and formatting.

“One of the best ways to prepare for a ‘people’ emergency is to have first aid and/or CPR training.”

Travel Emergencies What happens when there is a personal or pet emergency on the road? How prepared are you if you need medical or vet assistance? One of the best ways to prepare for a “people” emergen- cy is to have ¿ rst aid and/or CPR training. This is training you hope you will never need, but it’s too late to get when you do need it. The training accomplishes important things for you. First, it prepares you to respond in the event of an emergency. Second, it heightens your own safety aware- ness to take precautions and lessen the likelihood of an accidental emergency. Many people stress the importance of keeping CPR and ¿ rst aid training up to date. As an emergency medical instructor, I wholeheartedly agree that staying current in your skills is important. Often, though, people won’t take the training for the reason that they have to put in time to keep it current. My suggestion is that some training and knowledge is better than none, whether you stay current in your certi ¿ cations or not. You need a good ¿ rst aid kit and a good homemade one is often better than a commercial kit packed full of items you will never use. Always have 3/4-inch Bandaids, 4x4 sterile dressings, bandage tape, scissors, a bottle of eyewash and all the triangular bandages you can ¿ t into your kit. The trian- gular bandages work for everything—tying splints, securing dressings in place, making slings, etc. Don’t use stretch bandages. When there is risk of swelling, they can become too tight and impede circulation. If you don’t know what to watch for, you’ll create even more problems. Have copies of your health insurance number, doc- tor’s name and phone number, children’s social security numbers, records related to vaccinations or allergies, a medication list with name and dose and an emergency con- tact. Program your cell phone with an I-C-E number, which stands for “in case of emergency.” If you are unable to call due to sudden illness or injury, the emergency responders will know whom to contact for you.

For pets, have the vaccine records, known allergies and your vet’s name and phone number. Watch out for diet changes that can make your pet sick. Allergic reactions to bees, snake bites or grasses that grow outside of your living area can also create serious health problems for your pet. An engraved tag with the pet’s name, your name and a phone number is also important. Fresh, potable water should be available for your pet. Drinking from streams or standing water isn’t safe, since you don’t know what may be in it. Use a travel crate for when you are driving to keep your pet safe and secure while the vehicle is in motion. A little preplanning will provide less stress when or if something does happen and will help you anticipate prob- lems that you can avoid. Randy DeVaul, Guest Contributor Randy DeVaul is a published writer and author with more than 35 years in safety and emergency response services. He has authored three per- formance-based safety books and has e-books on the topics of home, family and RV safety available on Amazon. Your comments are welcome at safetypro1158@gmail.com. Continued ›››

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