Learn for Your Family

My name and my grown-up's name

Practice saying your full name and your parent or caregiver's name out loud. Helpers need this information to reunite you with family.

Who is a safe helper?

Safe helpers include uniformed police, firefighters, ambulance workers, teachers, shop workers with name badges, and mothers with children. If lost, stay where people can see you.

Do not hide

If you are scared or lost, do not hide under beds, in bushes, or in closets. Stay visible so helpers can find you.

Fire alarm means get out

When you hear a fire alarm, tell a grown-up and leave the building. Do not stop for toys. Meet at your family's safe spot outside.

If we get separated

If you cannot find your grown-up in a shop or crowd, stay in one place and ask a safe helper for help. Do not walk to the parking lot alone.

Know your address and landmark

Memorize your home address and one nearby landmark — a big shop, temple, or school. Practice saying it clearly.

Emergency numbers

Learn 112 and your local ambulance number (108 in many parts of India). Know when to call: fire, serious injury, someone not waking up, or when a grown-up tells you to.

What to say on the phone

Say: "I need help." Then give your address. Say what happened: "My grandma fell" or "There is smoke in our house." Stay on the phone.

Family meeting place

Know where your family meets outside if you must leave home — a neighbor's gate, a specific tree, or the corner shop.

Get a grown-up fast

For most emergencies, your job is to get an adult immediately. Only call yourself if no adult is available and it is a true emergency.

Fire — get low and go

Smoke rises. If there is smoke, crawl low where air is cleaner. Follow your family's exit route. Never hide in closets during a fire.

Earthquake — drop, cover, hold on

If the ground shakes, drop to hands and knees, cover your head under a table or desk, and hold on. Stay away from windows and heavy objects that can fall.

Do not touch electricity

Never touch fallen wires, broken sockets, or water near electrical appliances. Tell a grown-up immediately.

Water safety

Do not enter ponds, wells, or floodwater to help someone. Shout for an adult and call for help.

When someone will not wake up

If you shake someone gently and shout and they do not respond, get an adult immediately. Call emergency services if no adult is available.

Recognizing choking

Choking signs: clutching throat, cannot speak, silent coughing, blue lips. Get an adult. If you are trained and alone with a choking adult, you may help — otherwise fetch help fast.

Heavy bleeding

Blood that will not stop with a cloth pressed on it is an emergency. Apply pressure with a clean cloth and get adult help. Do not look repeatedly — keep pressing.

Scene safety for young helpers

Your first job is staying safe. Do not run into traffic, fire, or water. Get adults and call for help.

Helping younger siblings

During an emergency, keep younger children in a safe visible place. Stay calm. Tell them help is coming.

Take a certified first-aid course

Hands-on training from Red Cross, St John Ambulance, or equivalent gives you real CPR and choking skills. Online videos alone are not enough for certification.

Scene safety first

At a crash or public incident, pause and scan for traffic, fire, and electrical hazards before helping.

Calling and coordinating

Assign roles: "You call 112." "You meet the ambulance." "I stay with the person." Specific tasks work better than "someone help."

Privacy and dignity

Do not photograph injured people or share on social media. Cover exposed areas. Keep crowds back respectfully.

Know your limits

You are not a doctor. Help within your training. Getting professional help quickly is often the most important thing you can do.

Get certified

Take hands-on CPR, AED, and choking training from Red Cross, St John Ambulance, or equivalent.

Lead during disasters

Help count family members, guide younger siblings to meeting points, and call out-of-area contacts.

Responsible sharing

Do not live-stream injuries. Protect privacy. Share only verified alerts during disasters.

Know your limits

You are not a doctor. Call emergency services. Stop when professionals arrive.

Stay where you are

If you cannot find your grown-up, stay in one place where people can see you. Do not run to the parking lot or street.

Find a safe helper

Ask a shop worker, security guard, police officer, or a mother with children for help. Say: "I am lost. My name is ___. My grown-up is ___.

Do not go with strangers

Only go with uniformed helpers or staff inside the building. Yell loudly if someone makes you feel scared.

Infant choking recognition

Weak cough or no sound, bluish skin, unable to cry — these are emergencies. Mild gagging with strong cough should be monitored but not interfered with.

Back blows and chest thrusts

Hold infant face-down on your forearm, support the head, give 5 back blows. Turn face-up, give 5 chest thrusts with two fingers on the breastbone. Never use abdominal thrusts on infants.

Infant CPR overview

If infant is unresponsive and not breathing: call for help, use two fingers for compressions at one-third chest depth, 30 compressions and 2 breaths if trained. Take a pediatric CPR course for full technique.

Prevention

Keep small objects, coins, batteries, and food pieces smaller than a grape away from infants. Cut food appropriately. Supervise eating.

Secure medicines and chemicals

Store medicines, cleaning products, and pesticides locked and out of reach. Keep them in original containers — never in food or drink bottles.

Do not induce vomiting

If a child swallows something harmful, call emergency services or poison control immediately. Do not give salt water, mustard, or milk unless specifically instructed.

Bring the container

Save the bottle, packet, or sample of what was swallowed. This helps professionals give correct advice.

Common household risks

Button batteries, mosquito repellent, paracetamol overdoses, and household cleaners are frequent causes. Know the number for your regional poison control center.

Constant supervision

Stay within arm's reach of young children near any water — buckets, tubs, tanks, ponds, pools. Drowning takes seconds and is often silent.

Empty water containers

Empty buckets, tubs, and water storage when not in use. Cover wells and tanks securely.

Teach water rules

Children should not enter water to rescue others. They should shout for an adult and call for help.

If submersion occurs

Remove from water, call emergency services, check breathing. If not breathing, start CPR if trained. All submersion victims need medical assessment even if they seem fine.

Kitchen safety

Turn pot handles inward. Keep hot liquids away from table edges. Never carry hot tea or soup while holding a child.

Hot water temperature

Set geyser temperature safely. Test bath water with your elbow before placing a child in the tub.

First response for burns

Cool under running water for 20 minutes. Remove tight clothing and jewelry if not stuck. Cover loosely. Call for help for large or facial burns.

What not to apply

Never use butter, oil, toothpaste, or ice on burns. Do not break blisters.

Family contact card

Write names, phone numbers, blood types, allergies, and medicines for each family member. Keep copies in go-bags and with caregivers.

Meeting points

Choose one meeting spot near home and one outside the neighborhood. Practice reaching them with children.

Go-bag basics

Water, snacks, torch, copies of documents, phone charger, basic first aid, medicines, and child comfort items. Refresh every six months.

Emergency communication plan

Agree on an out-of-area contact everyone calls if local networks fail. Teach children this number.

Disability and special needs

Plan for mobility aids, powered medical equipment, and backup power. Register with local disaster services if available.

Choking and small objects

Cut round foods. Avoid whole grapes, nuts, coins, and button batteries. Stay within arm's reach during meals.

Water and drowning

Empty buckets after use. Never leave a toddler alone in a bath. Fence pools and cover wells.

Poisoning prevention

Lock medicines and cleaners high up. Keep products in original containers. Post poison control number.

Falls and head bumps

Use stair gates and window guards. Watch for vomiting, sleepiness, or crying after head bumps — call for help if worried.

Backup contacts

Choose two trusted neighbors or relatives children can go to. Share keys and medical info with them.

If parent collapses

Teach school-age children to call 112, unlock the phone, and give the home address. Post emergency numbers low on the fridge.

Solo evacuation

Plan how you will carry infants and guide children at the same time. Keep car keys and go-bag by the exit.

Updated skills

Take a pediatric first-aid refresher. Infant choking uses back blows and chest thrusts — never abdominal thrusts.

Medical information

Keep a list of child allergies, medicines, and doctor numbers on the refrigerator.

When to call parents vs ambulance

Call emergency services first for not breathing, severe bleeding, or unconsciousness. Then call parents.

Evacuation planning

Know which exits work for wheelchairs. Notify building management of needs. Keep mobility aids near the door.

Powered equipment

Plan backup batteries or a place to go if power fails. Register for priority power restoration if available.

Communication cards

Use cards or apps that explain needs to responders. Teach children how to show the card if caregiver is unwell.

Call immediately for

Heavy bleeding, severe headache with vision changes, sudden swelling, severe abdominal pain, or reduced baby movement.

What to tell dispatchers

Say how many weeks pregnant, what symptoms you see, and your location. Follow their instructions.

Choking and CPR modifications

Use chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts for choking during late pregnancy. Continue CPR if trained.

Evacuation with pets

Human life comes first. If safe, take leashes and carriers by the door. Never re-enter fire for pets — tell firefighters.

Pet poisoning

Call veterinary poison line or vet if pets eat chocolate, medicines, or chemicals. Save the packaging.

Heat and vehicles

Never leave pets in hot cars. Provide water in heatwaves. Know signs of overheating: panting, collapse.

Prevention at home

Remove loose rugs and clutter. Install grab bars in bathrooms. Ensure good lighting on stairs and at night. Wear non-slip footwear indoors.

If you fall

Stay calm. If hurt or cannot get up, call for help using a phone, medical alert device, or shouting. Do not rush to stand if dizzy or in pain.

When to call emergency services after a fall

Call if you hit your head, have severe pain, cannot move a limb, feel faint, take blood thinners, or lose consciousness even briefly.

Caregiver response

Do not pull an older adult up by the arms. Assess for injury. If head injury or hip pain, keep them comfortable and call for help rather than moving.

Stroke signs — think FAST

Face drooping on one side, Arm weakness, Speech slurred or strange, Time to call emergency services immediately. Note when symptoms started.

Chest pain warning signs

Pressure, squeezing, or pain in chest, arm, jaw, or back; shortness of breath; sweating; nausea. Call emergency services — do not drive yourself.

Medication list

Keep an updated list of medicines, doses, and allergies in your wallet and on the refrigerator. Include doctor contact numbers.

Do not wait to see if it passes

Mild symptoms that come and go still need urgent assessment. Early treatment limits damage.

Plan evacuation routes

Know two ways out of every room. If you use stairs with difficulty, identify ground-floor exits and notify building management of your needs.

Powered medical equipment

If you depend on oxygen, CPAP, or other powered devices, plan backup power or relocation. Register with your electricity provider for priority restoration if available.

Heat and cold safety

Older adults are vulnerable to extreme temperatures. Keep hydration, cooling, and warming plans for heatwaves and cold snaps.

Caregiver emergency information

Caregivers should carry emergency contacts, medication lists, and knowledge of assistive devices. Practice transfers and evacuation with assistance.