911 Emergency Response: Teaching a Child to Dial 911
1. Train Children Early. Never assume that your toddler is too young to learn about emergency response services. If the child is able to communicate verbally, he or she is old enough to use 911. A good age for training children is about three or four. Each child is different. Thus, some will not easily grasp the concept. Parents must judge their own child’s maturity level.
2. Avoid Prank Calls. While training children on how to use 911, it is important to emphasize that 911 is not a joke. Thus, children should avoid calling the number leisurely. In this instance, a child’s maturity level has a major role. If your child has a history of playing on the phone, it may not be the right time to introduce them to 911. Instead, address the issue of playing on the phone.
3. Help Child Identify an Emergency. Children must be able to identify an emergency. Older children can easily detect problems; however, toddlers may need parents to demonstrate. Parents should explain different emergency situations. These might include, falling down the stairs, choking, falling to the ground, or a child’s inability to wake their parents.
Next, familiarize children with the phone. Direct their attention to the numbers to dial during an emergency. To avoid children panicking and forgetting the numbers, parents might include a post-it by the telephone with 911 boldly printed.
4. Practice. Practice sessions are very effective with helping children grasp the concept of 911. Have the child pick up the phone and dial 911. Before dialing, make sure that the phone is unplugged. 911 response operators are not very tolerant to unnecessary phone calls. Even if you hang up the phone before speaking with a person, the operator will be able to trace the phone call and dispatch a police officer.
5. Conveniently Position Phone. In order for children to dial 911 during an emergency, they must have easy access to the phone. Thus, it helps to keep at least one phone in the home at a child’s arm length. Moreover, if using cordless phones, attempt returning the phone to the base upon completion of calls. Having to search for a phone during a medical emergency is frustrating and may delay the injured from receiving help.
6. Home Address. Training children in the use of 911 can potentially save a life. However, it helps if children also know their street address. Emergency dispatch operators have the ability to trace phone calls. However, this can take several minutes. Moreover, if a child is calling from a cellular phone, the operator will be unable to determine exact location. While teaching children the basics of 911, parents should use this as an opportunity to teach children their home address and phone number.
