Imagine being caught in a home emergency, your heart racing and mind scattered — would you know what to do?
This episode is a must-listen for every homemaker as I sit down with Elizabeth Dillard, a paramedic firefighter with a wealth of field experience, to arm you with the knowledge and skills for effective crisis management in the home. Together, we dissect the fine line between fear that paralyzes and fear that mobilizes. Elizabeth shares empowering wisdom from scripture to fight paralyzing fear AND some practical knowledge for preparing your response and assessing life-threatening situations.
SHOW NOTES
EPISODE CHAPTERS
Prepare Your Response: Trusting God and Overcoming Fear
Managing Emergencies and Recognizing Life Threats: The MARCH Acronym
Cardiac Arrest and CPR
How to Give Vital Info to First Responders
Fire: The Fire Triangle and Different Types of Fire
Having a Plan: Fire Safety and Response Indoors and Outdoors
Teaching Kids About Fire
Addressing Trauma and Grief in Children
EPISODE NOTES
Scripture to Fight Fear
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and sound judgement."
Joshua 10:25 "Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”
1 Chron 28:20 "Then David said to his son Solomon, 'Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or abandon you until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished'."
Psalm 56:4 "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"
Psalm 118:6 "The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?"
Hebrews 13:6 "Therefore, we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper;I will not be afraid.What can man do to me'?"
M.A.R.C.H. acronym : Massive Hemorrhage, Airway, Respiration, Circulation, Hypothermia
Cardiac Arrest: Remember, "No, No, Go". Are they responding normally? Are they breathing normally? If answer to both is "NO" then GO ahead with CPR.
Vial of Life: Contains important information for first responders such as a Do Not Resuscitate order, medical history and medication list.
Books to help Kids with trauma and grief: The Good Shepard, by Gary Varvel, The Memory Box
Basic Medical Supplies and Fire Safety for Every Home
by Elizabeth Dillard
First Aid
Gloves, for the dirty situations 🙂
Soap, sounds silly, but think, a means to clean wounds
Antibiotic and/or antiseptic ointment and/or wipes
Bandages, from different sized band-aids, to different size sterile gauze pads with Coban, rolled gauze, triangle bandages
Tourniquet, just recognize if you are going to buy a commercial tourniquet, it would be beneficial to every once in while refresh your knowledge on using a tourniquet.
Scissors
Tweezers
Cold pack, this could be frozen peas wrapped in a towel or a commercial cold pack for a travel kit
Blanket, again, more of for a travel kit, hopefully at home you have an assortment of blankets 🙂
Medications, if a family member has prescription medications, have one location for them with potentially a list to have ready for medical personnel. Consider as well what your family could benefit from over the counter, such as Aspirin, nasal decongestants, pain management, etc.
Not really basic first aid, but consider having on hand your choice of immunity boosting aids, especially for the winter months when people's immune systems are at the lowest. This way you can combat 'the common cold' with what you know works for your family.
Basic Home Safety Suggestions
Alarms: Fire and carbon monoxide alarms are tested and working
Electrical Hazard Awareness: Evaluate home on exposed or old wiring, appliances such as heaters (and what could be around them that could be a fuel source), kitchen appliances (what needs constant electricity and what does not), etc.
Extinguishers: Means to extinguish a fire in areas that are more common, such as the kitchen or laundry room. Although commercial means like a fire extinguisher are great to have, remember, water, baking soda, and simply 'suffocating' and flames (like try closing the door to the microwave!) can work too! Remember there are different types of fire. Make sure your method of extinguisher is appropriate for the type of fire.
Education: If you have small children, consider every once in a while, a safety lesson, something as simple as how to use the kitchen stove, all the way to spending an hour at your local fire station to learn about safety. Consider for their benefit, and yours as well, a first aid/CPR, Stop the Bleed program
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