Manchester Bombing - Teach your children

Not wanting to seem like we are capitalizing on incidents, this post is being written purposely later then others which have been posted here after an event has taken place. Of course other incidents have taken place since this one..... I do not think we will be delaying posting in the future. I really did not want to seem like the posts were taking advantage of situations.............

Completely trying to stay out of the politics........... Children, unarmed children, who pose no threat to you, are not legitimate targets no matter your cause....... Period, end of discussion.

Given the current attacks we need to cover something which came up while reading reports about the attack. Children did not know what to do. They had no idea what to do when things went south. Granted children should not have a complete skill set for dealing with bad days. They are children and should not have to deal with this S*&^, but they do have to deal with it. Even if dealing with it is just hearing about it on the internet or listening to adults talk. They have to process the information and deal with it using the tools they have been given. As adults we should be trying to prepare our children by giving them tools they can use when, god forbid, they have to deal with a situation.

WHY? 

Because they might not always run into someone willing to help them as this lady did for a group of kids.

http://news.grejeen.com/uk/2017/05/23/manchester-attack-angel-of-manchester-praised-for-leading-children-to-safety-following-bombing/

Wanna bet your kids safety on some complete stranger coming to their aid? Because.....

"People are 'good' and would not leave children to fend for themselves." 

REALLY? How many other adults left children not of their own to fend for themselves in the middle of this situation......

First, have a talk with your kids. Let them know if they are ever lost, not sure where to go or do not know where you went, to find a police officer and ask them for help. This is not just for a terrorist attack. This covers normal days at the mall or a trip to the beach.

(just seen this skill in action today at a fair. little girl was separated from her family, asked for help when she realized she was alone. she was brought on stage, an announcement was made and her father was found less than 100 yards away)

Even if they are older kids, teenagers, have a talk with them and put these idea in their heads. Under stress they will remember what you told them. Even if your "terrible teen" doesn't remember odds are someone in the group will remember this.

This would be another tactic to teach your kids. Do not tell them it is a survival tactic, do not freak them out, but encourage kids to travel in groups to events like this, walking home, leaving the mall or any other time they are out. Of course if the crowd they are hanging out with is less then........ well..... if they are dirtbags, do not encourage them to hang out with that crowd. That is a discussion for another time. For this, encourage kids to move in groups.

Teach your kids to act when something bad happens. Acting being the opposite of just standing there frozen. Teach them what stops fragments and bullets, yes you can just have a discussion with them about what will and won't stop fragments and bullets! Because if things keep escalating one explosion will be followed by another! Just look to what happens in Israel, Syria and other places where bombings take place. These incidents will escalate to where the bombers set off secondary devices to catch first responders and others trying to help.

Next, teach your children first aid. As with everything we talk about here we try to cover as many situations as we can. First aid is a skill not just used if your child is caught in a terrorist act. They can use this ability when they get a paper cut or skin their knee.

Think about it for a moment, what if your child is caught in an event? What if they have enough training to seek help, find a safe position and administer first aid to themselves or others? This saying has proven true more times than I can remember; you only rise to the lowest level of your training during a bad day.

Just think how much better the situation is going to be for them!

Think about your child being able to fend for themselves during those moments of chaos. Think of the advantage you have given your child by having a few conversations and providing basic skills to them............

We can not always be there for our children. At some point we have to let them live their lives. As a parent of grown children I completely understand this, do not like it, but it is something we all have to go through as parents.

Actions taken in the first few moments and minutes after an event can make all the difference in who lives and who dies. This is especially true for medical issues. There is a "Golden Hour" talked about in medical training. If you have access to advanced medical care the first hour is vital. What your child does for themselves or others can make all the difference. Putting direct pressure on a wound, wrapping the victim or themselves in something to fight back shock and keeping a positive mental attitude sounds like nothing yet could be the deciding factor in an emergency.

Of course there is only so much we can expect children to do. We all know kids who are act like they are not listening when you are talking. They will resist any training or conversation which make them uncomfortable. As a parent still have the conversations, still have them take training or teach them ourself. We can not expect children to take charge of a scene or acting as medics. All we can hope for is to give our children tools, training, principles and ideas they can pull from is they ever need to.

Take the time to teach the children.............

As Always,

Stay Safe!

Brussels Bombing

Woke up this morning to the news of a terrorist attack in Brussels...... As I watched the news coverage there were some things I noticed. Situations which seem to repeat themselves every time there is news coverage of an incident. We won't be discussing the reasons for the incident. They are irrelevant to what we are talking about.

Explosions go off, chaos consumes the moment and afterwards you realize you are still alive! What comes next? Your prior planning.............

We talk about having situational awareness, looking for the exits when you enter an area is part of this. Now is the time you can put this to use. Maybe you can lead others to the exit? Maybe everyone is stampeding toward the obvious exit and you can go out a different way? For the photo above, taken in the subway system after today's attack, knowing where the exit is important. If this is your daily commute odds are you know which exit is closer. Is it faster to walk toward the station you just left or head down the tracks to the next one?

Here is also where your Every Day Carry comes into use. Do you carry a flashlight? A lighter? These things might seem like a nuisance until the day you NEED them......... During almost any emergency there is going to be a time period you are on your own. How long this goes on depends on the situation. Your prior planning is all you will have to rely on during this time frame......

Prior planning also includes prior skills building. Skills building includes thinking through "what if's". You're in the situation the lady in the above photo is caught in..... What do you do? What if that was you with your child? Would you seek a position of cover? Would you try to exit the area? Would your next priority be to check yourself and child for injuries? What if this was you or your loved ones? Would they or you have prepared to have options in this case? Thinking through situations gives you starting point, a mental checklist, to start at when things go bad. You already have given yourself a framework from which to operate from and this decreases your time to reaction.

Everyone reading this needs to learn basic first aid!!!! No exceptions and no excuses!!! Everyone in your family should understand basic first aid and I challenge each of you to take a class THIS MONTH! Not next month or maybe when you have more time. Set the goal, within the next thirty days you will take a first aid class. Having this skill allows you to take care of yourself during those moments you are on your own. If you can help yourself medical responders can focus on those who are more injured. If you can tend to yourself and become mobile you can exit the area.

This fundamental knowledge of first aid also allows you to help others if the situation allows it. If the situation is; you are uninjured, there is no immediate threat to your safety, you can put this knowledge to work and help others to survive.

Multiple people with basic first aid skills can greatly increase the number of injured people who survive their injuries. Simply knowing how to secure a tourniquet or apply direct pressure to a wound could be the difference between someone dying or living to see their loved ones again. You can help others and yourself make it home with some fundamental knowledge!

Having skills and supplies could make the difference. If you carry a bag every day some simple medical supplies can be tossed in. These items and skill set could save your life during those moments you are on your own during an emergency.

Time and again during these incidents you can see people without any idea what to do. People waiting for others to do things they themselves could or should be able to do. People being overwhelmed by the situation. People who are becoming part of the problem instead of helping. People becoming victims of the situation, be it from lack of physical skills, mental skills or having never gone through 'what if's'. Bad things happen, the question is what have you done prior to and during the event to help you make it through the bad day. What can you do to help others make it through the bad day?

As Always,

Stay Safe!