Emergencies and Safety
Emergencies are unexpected events that can cause harm to people and
property. They can happen to anyone at any time. Plan ahead to keep yourself
and your family safe. This section tells you how you can prepare for
emergencies and how to get help when they happen.
Emergency Help: Call 911
In the United States, you can call 911 on any telephone to get emergency
help. Call 911 to:
• Report a fire.
• Report a crime in progress.
• Call an ambulance for emergency medical help.
• Report suspicious activities, such as screams, calls for help, or
gunshots.
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What Happens When I Call 911?
• Calls to 911 are usually answered within 12 seconds. You may be put on
hold. Do not hang up! When the operator answers, there will be silence on
the phone for several seconds. Do not hang up. Wait for the operator to
speak.
• If you do not speak English, tell the operator what language you speak. An
interpreter should come on the line.
• The 911 operator will ask you questions to find out what and where the
emergency is. Keep calm and answer these questions. Try to stay on the phone
with the operator until you answer all questions.
When Not to Call 911
Call 911 for serious, life-threatening emergencies only. Calling 911 for the
wrong reason may keep someone else from getting the help they need. Do not
call 911 to:
• Ask for directions.
• Ask for information about public services.
• Find out if someone is in jail.
• Report situations that are not emergencies.
• Ask for information about animal control.
• Talk to a police officer about something that is not an emergency.
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If you have a question for the police, call the non-emergency number for the
police department listed in the blue pages of your phone book.
LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE
UNITED STATES
In the U.S., there are federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies that protect the public. In your community, law enforcement
officers are the police or sheriff. Find out the phone number of the
police station nearest you and keep it next to your telephone. Remember
that police officers are there to protect you and your family from harm.
Do not be afraid to report a crime, especially if you are the victim.
Some criminals take advantage of immigrants because they think you will
not report the crime to the police. If you are stopped by a police
officer:
• Don’t be afraid. Be polite and cooperative.
• Tell the officer if you do not speak English.
• If you are in a car, don’t get out of the car until the officer tells
you to.
• Keep your hands where the officer can see them. Don’t reach into your
pockets or into other areas of the car. |
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Keeping Your Home and Family Safe
Get ready before emergencies happen. Here are some things you can do to be
safe:
• Be sure your doors have good locks and keep them locked at all times.
Don’t give your door keys to strangers. Be careful about opening your door
to strangers. Ask who they are and what they want before you open the door.
• Smoke alarms make a loud noise when there is smoke in your house or
apartment. Make sure you have smoke alarms on the ceiling near bedrooms and
on each floor of your house. Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm twice
a year. Check the alarm once each month to make sure it works.
• Find out where the nearest hospital and police and fire stations are
located. Keep these important phone numbers (police station, fire
department, and doctor) near your phone, where you can easily find them.
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• Find the main valves for gas, electricity, and water in your home. Be sure
you know how to turn them off by hand.
• Prepare a disaster kit that includes a flashlight, portable radio, extra
batteries, blankets, a first-aid kit, and enough canned or packaged food and
bottled water to last for 3 days. Also include trash bags, toilet paper, and
pet food, if needed. Keep all these things in one place that is easy to
find.
• Practice with your family how to get out of your house in case of a fire
or other emergency. Make sure your children know what the smoke alarm sounds
like and what to do if they hear it. Plan a place to meet your family if you
have to leave your home. Choose one spot outside your home and another spot
outside your neighborhood, in case you can’t return home. Ask a friend or
family member living in another area to be the main person your family will
call if you are separated in an emergency. Make sure everyone knows to call
this person and has his or her phone number.
• Ask about emergency plans at your children’s school. Be sure your child
knows what to do. Ask where you can go to meet your child in an emergency.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
To help keep your neighborhood safe, get to know your neighbors. Talk
with them about how to handle an emergency in your area. If you have
neighbors with disabilities, see if they need special help.
Many neighborhoods have a Neighborhood Watch. The Neighborhood Watch is
a group of people from the neighborhood. They take turns walking the
streets at night to discourage criminal activity. If there is a
Neighborhood Watch in your area, you can volunteer to participate. If
you want to get a Neighborhood Watch started, call your local police
department for help. Visit
http://www.usaonwatch.org for more information.
When you help others to be safe, you help your community and nation. You
can get more involved in your community through your local Citizen Corps
Council. Visit
http://www.citizencorps.gov for more information. |
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First Aid
Learn how to help someone in certain emergency situations, such as when
someone is bleeding
or choking. This is called “first aid.” You can take a first aid training
class through your local Red Cross. Call your local Red Cross office or the
National Safety Council to ask about classes in your area. Find more
information at http://www.redcross.org
or http://www.nsc.org.
Keep a first aid kit at home, at work, and in your car. A first aid kit has
items you can use for small injuries or for pain, such as bandages,
antiseptic wipes, pain medicine, instant ice packs, and gloves. You can buy
a good first aid kit at your local drugstore.
Poison Control
Many things in your home can be poisonous if they are swallowed. These can
include cleaning products, medicine, paint, alcohol, cosmetics, and even
some plants. Keep these things away from young children.
If someone swallows a poisonous substance, call the Poison Control Center
right away at 1-800-222-1222. You can get help 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. Have the poisonous substance with you when you call. Tell the operator
what it is. If you do not speak English, tell the operator so an interpreter
can help you. Calls to the Poison Control Center are confidential and free. |
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Homeland Security Advisory System for
Terrorist Attacks
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a system to help people
understand the risk of a possible terrorist attack. The system uses
different colors to show different levels of danger. These are:
Red. Severe condition. There is a severe
risk of terrorist attacks. An attack has already happened or is about to
happen.
Orange. High condition. There is a high
risk of terrorist attacks. No specific targets are known.
Yellow. Elevated condition. There is a
significant risk of terrorist attacks. No specific targets are known.
Blue. Guarded condition. There is a
general risk of terrorist attacks. No specific threats or targets are known.
Green. Low condition. There is a low
risk of terrorist attacks.
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If a Terrorist Attack Happens
The U.S. government can use the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to provide
information to the country in an emergency. The President of the United
States can use this system to provide immediate information to the public
when an emergency happens. State and local governments may also use the EAS
to provide emergency information to the public in their area. If an
emergency happens, listen to the radio or television for
information about how to protect yourself and your family. |
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TIP: If a terrorist attack happens, listen to what local authorities
tell you to do. Listen to the radio or television for instructions. Have a
television or radio in your home that works on batteries in case electricity
in your area is temporarily lost.
Don’t Be Afraid, Be Ready
DHS is helping Americans learn about possible dangers, so they can be ready
to react during a terrorist attack or natural disaster. DHS provides
information to help you make your family, your home, and your community
safer from the dangers of crime, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds. Call
1-800-BE-READY for printed information or visit the DHS website at
http://www.ready.gov.
You also can get a Citizen’s Guide with tips on how to make your family,
your home, and your community safer. You can get this guide from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by calling 1-800-480-2520. You also can get materials from the Citizen Corps website at
http://www.citizencorps.gov/ready/cc_pubs.shtm.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Federal and state officials are asking all people living in the U.S. to
help fight terrorism. Be aware of your surroundings, especially when you
travel on public buses, trains, and airplanes. If you see a suspicious
item that has been left behind, such as a briefcase, backpack, or paper
bag, report it immediately to the nearest police officer or other
authority. Do not open or remove the item yourself! |
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