As a parent who will always worry about my children’s safety, I know how important it is to leave your kids in good hands when you go out. That doesn’t just mean capable or trustworthy hands. That means providing all the best resources to make sure your child will have the best care in case of an emergency. That’s not the only reason you need a sheet of emergency information handy in your home. When an emergency happens, you do not want to rely on your brain to find important information that you need. It’s critically important that you and fill it out now before something goes wrong. That way if you ever need it, you can react quickly and calmly neutralize the situation.
Related: 4 Tips to Keeping Your Home Safe During Holiday Travel
My printout for emergency information contains all the essential things you need to make sure you can keep your children out of harm’s way and give them the appropriate emergency attention if anything ever goes wrong. Print this emergency information sheet and keep it handy wherever you will have easy access to it in the event of a real emergency.
Key Phone Numbers for Emergencies
The first thing you will notice at the top of my emergency information sheet is several spots for phone numbers. These are all the emergency contacts you will need depending on the nature of your emergency. We all know 911, but these numbers are meant for specific types of situations where you can get quick reliable treatment regarding your circumstance. If a situation is important, but you don’t feel comfortable calling 911 you can try these numbers instead. Write down the numbers for your local police, fire department, poison control, hospital, ambulance, or other emergency services for easy reference.
Emergency Contacts
After those important phone numbers, I have space for two emergency contacts. I find it extremely helpful to include two contacts and it’s also a nice courtesy. If you are one of the contacts, it’s good to have another contact, just in case you can’t be reached. I also find that with two caregivers, it’s best to contact both emergency contacts. It helps to keep everybody in the loop and they will appreciate that inclusion.
Extended Contacts List
Beyond the emergency contacts, I also include a lengthier list of extended contacts. It’s so much better to err on the side of caution than to include too little emergency information. By providing an extended list of contacts, you put more information at a caregiver’s disposal, whether that caregiver turns out to be you or somebody you hired. You can never be too careful.
Keep This Out in the Open
Print this emergency information sheet out right away and start filling it in. Don’t hesitate to make a few and tape them up on the side of a cabinet or the refrigerator. The important thing after completing this emergency information sheet is keeping it accessible. This is so you don’t have to fish for the information later on when time is a critical factor.
