At Home – Step 2 of 4

1. Family Communication Plan
2. Emergency Phone Call Practice

First, Read the Information You Need:

Remember those out of state contacts? Choose just one of them to be your out-of-state contact point. You don’t have time to make lots of phone calls during an emergency. If there is a tornado in your area, you call one person and tell them you are okay or if you need help. That one person will call those they know in your area to check in on them as well, or to see if they can help you.

Have you ever played a game of telephone? Someone starts out whispering “I want a new pair of shoes” to the next person in line. That person whispers it to the next, and by the time it gets to the end, it could be a completely different message, like “I won a new pointy hat.” While a fun game, this also happens in real life, far more often than adults like to admit. With an out-of-state contact, one person can keep track of all the news and pass it along, without it going through half a dozen people and possibly getting mixed up like a game of telephone.

When you’re okay

When you call, make it short and simple. “This is Sky! We’re okay, but the house isn’t. We’re going to our evacuation point. We’re heading out in about 30 minutes.” That out of state person knows your evacuation point is Grandma and will call Grandma to make sure she knows you are coming.

Grandma might have two or three families coming in, so Grandma can prepare for them while the out of state contact fields the phone calls and regularly checks in and gives out information like, “Careful, Grandma says the interstate is packed, so use the alternate route.”

If you aren’t okay, but don’t need help

If you aren’t okay, make sure to mention that, but keep it short. “This is Sky! I’m alive, but hurt. The earthquake was bad, and a bookcase fell on me. My leg isn’t horrible, I just can’t move it well. No visible breaks and the bleeding stopped, so I haven’t been seen yet. I’m just waiting in the emergency room, but I was able to get pain killers. I’ll update you after I get it cared for, or in a few hours if I’m still waiting.”

As a kid, you might be the one to make the call, but give a brief update on your family. “This is Sky! I’m fine. Dad’s fine and so is my little brother. A bookcase fell on mom so we’re at the Emergency room, but it didn’t look bad. Bleeding stopped and no visible breaks. She just can’t move it well and it hurts a lot. Dad’s filling out forms and we’ve got our emergency bags, so we’ll have things to keep us busy while we wait. Dad will call you later after Mom’s been seen.”

If you aren’t okay, and need help

If you need help, your out of state may not be the one you need to call. If it’s life threatening, always try 911 first. Having the police station phone number on hand also helps if you need help, but it isn’t a life-threatening situation.

However, if something happened and your entire area was facing disaster situations, sometimes the police and even 911 could be busy and you’ll be facing a wait time. If you aren’t sure how long you’ll have a signal, or if your battery is running low, you may only get one short phone call in. That’s when you call your out of state contact. They can then call the emergency service or rescue organization for you.

If you had to make that call, it might sound like this: “This is Sky! There was a big earthquake. I’m fine. My little brother is fine. But a bookcase fell on mom and she’s not waking up. She’s got a pulse and I can’t see any blood, but the bookcase is too heavy. We can’t lift it. I can’t get through to 911 or the police station. My little brother watched her while I tried to find a neighbor, but no one answered the doors next to us. Mom’s cell phone is almost out of power, and we don’t have power on in the house to charge it. What do I do?”

Your out of state contact may ask for more information, or let you know what else to try. But the most important thing they can do is to call 911 for you and stay on the line until they get an operator while you save the battery on the cell phone. Once your out of state contact gets someone on the line with 911, 911 should be able to call your cell phone and connect you into the conversation. Always answer calls from unknown numbers when you are in an emergency. You can always hang up if it’s unimportant, but that unknown number might be the emergency services or a rescue crew.

If the cell phone power goes out before the 911 operator calls, 911 will send someone to your address, so you need to stay there until help arrives.

Second, Chose One Option to Complete:

Option 1:Act it Out

Option 2:Write it Out

Think of an emergency in the past you’ve been through. Imagine if you were the one to make that call to your out of state contact. What would you have said?   Can’t think of an emergency? Talk to your parents and make up a scenario for your family. A Hurricane happened and your home flooded, but only a few inches. A tornado came through, but it only hit the other side of town and you’re fine. A bad storm hit, and lightning struck the tree in your backyard. Everyone’s fine but the roof isn’t. Take your scenario, real or imagined, and act it out with a friend or family member where you pretend to make that call.

Think of an emergency in the past you’ve been through. Imagine if you were the one to make that call to your out of state contact. What would you have said?   Can’t think of an emergency? Talk to your parents and make up a scenario for your family. A Hurricane happened and your home flooded, but only a few inches. A tornado came through, but it only hit the other side of town and you’re fine. A bad storm hit, and lightning struck the tree in your backyard. Everyone’s fine but the roof isn’t. Take your scenario, real or imagined, and write down what you would say if you would make that call.

Congrats!

Brownies stop here. You’ve earned the Communication Rocker!

Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors, and Adults, go to Step 3.

Return to Communications Step 1 page.

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