Home Emergency Preparedness

With the mild weather we have been having people tend to forget that we can have nasty weather in Ottawa and we always have to be ready in case of an emergency.

In the event of an emergency residents are expected to take care of themselves for the first 72 hours while emergency crews respond to the worst hit areas.

If you lost electricity for 72 hours in the middle of winter how would you cope?

Some things to consider:

Create an emergency communications plan with family members and establish a meeting place
Assemble an emergency preparedness kit
Educate yourself on your municipality's emergency plan and child's school or daycare's emergency plan.
Learn basic first aid
Learn when and how to shelter in place.
Did you know that in order to meet the minimum personal needs you should have a 2 litres of drinking water per person per day and two litres of water per person per day for cleaning.? That is 12 litres per person for three days. 

Your food kit should also contain canned foods and non perishable milk products.

As an Authorized Training Provider of the Canadian Red Cross, all First Aid Ottawa Standard and Emergency First Aid courses are recognized by WSIB and its Federal counterpart the Canada Labour code. Visit us online at www.FirstAidOttawa.com or at 613-225-2727.

Helmet Safety

Canadians love their outdoor/cold weather activities. Some activities like hockey, skating, skiing/snowboarding do have a higher incidence of head injuries.  Lately there has been a lot of discussion about head protection for these sports. For most people this has lead to further confusion about how to protect themselves.

The best way to prevent injury is to wear the appropriate gear. For hockey, skating and skiing/snowboarding this includes helmets. Old and young need to wear helmets.

When choosing a helmet, style is not the most important part. Look for the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) sticker on your helmet to ensure that it meets the rigorous requirements to meet your needs.

Next wear your helmet. A helmet does not work if you do not wear it. When you wear it make sure you wear it properly (this includes using the chin strap).

Finally, despite the fact that you are wearing a helmet does not preclude that you should practise your sport/activity safely.

As an Authorized Training Provider of the Canadian Red Cross, all First Aid Ottawa Standard and Emergency First Aid courses are recognized by WSIB and its Federal counterpart the Canada Labour code. Visit us online at www.FirstAidOttawa.com or at 613-225-2727.