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You must become proficient at first aid and CPR.\u00a0\u00a0Take a quality CPR class. \u00a0Take a\u00a0Stop the Bleed<\/a>\u00a0class. \u00a0Be ready to manage big and small medical emergencies at your home, assuming it may take longer for EMS to arrive at your home.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Program the best hospitals into your smart phone mapping apps.\u00a0\u00a0I have them programmed in Waze as favorites in the event I am having to take myself or a family member to the hospital on an emergency basis. \u00a0It may be faster to self-transport than to wait on an ambulance. \u00a0Do you know which hospitals are best for your family and which ones enjoy the best reputation? \u00a0Ask your doctor and friends in EMS where they would want to be taken in the event of an emergency. \u00a0Speaking of doctors…<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Determine if your current physician is still a good choice for you.\u00a0\u00a0I’ve recently joined a\u00a0direct primary care program<\/a>\u00a0which, for a monthly fee, gives me unlimited access to a physician to help me with both minor and major medical issues. \u00a0And even if such a program isn’t an option for you, set up a\u00a0CVS virtual care visit<\/u><\/a>\u00a0– from creating an online account to speaking with a nurse practitioner about my flu symptoms back in November, the entire process took less than 10 minutes. \u00a0I highly recommend you consider setting up an account with them. \u00a0There’s no charge to do so until you utilize their service, and they take insurance.\u00a0\u00a0The pandemic really advanced the ball on telehealth. \u00a0Being able to troubleshoot health issues and get solutions from your home is a gamechanger in how we can stay healthy.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Stock up on medications, both OTC and prescription. \u00a0I tell you how to do it here<\/a>. \u00a0Again, telemedicine and programs like GoodRx have made this much easier to do, even for prescription medications. \u00a0While you’re at it, stock up on band aids, dressing and bandages, a good blood pressure machine, oral thermometers, and the other accessories you can use to help diagnose and monitor your family’s health. \u00a0Being able to manage medical issues at home without calling an ambulance will free up resources for more critical calls.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Buy more fire extinguishers and train with them.\u00a0\u00a0Let your family practice with the older ones in your home – take them out in the backyard and shoot them off on a cardboard box to give them something to aim for when doing it. \u00a0Don’t let the first time they use one be during an actual fire – that happened at our house as a kid, and while the fire was quickly extinguished, it made a much larger mess than was necessary. \u00a0Keep fire extinguishers in your car. \u00a0I keep\u00a0these<\/a>\u00a0in my truck – as well as\u00a0two of these in the driver’s side door<\/a>\u00a0for both firefighting and car jacking deterrence.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Be ready to deal with violent crime, on your own, with no help from law enforcement until it’s over. \u00a0APD has\u00a0not been responding to certain 911 calls<\/a>\u00a0for quite some time now, in large part due to lack of available officers. \u00a0Response times continue to to go up. \u00a0Some 18 months ago<\/a>, the top priority calls to 911 had an average response time of ten minutes, 41 seconds. \u00a0To put that in perspective, in FY 2011 the APD’s average response time for these calls was six minutes, 45 seconds. \u00a0That’s a four minute increase in ten years. \u00a0Which means if you find yourself in a violent situation, and you get an average response time from the police, you and your family will be dealing with the violence and any aftermath for 641 excruciatingly long seconds. \u00a0The incident is likely over long before the police arrive. \u00a0What is your plan for those 641 seconds? \u00a0Get the life safety equipment and training you need to use it now. \u00a0And by life safety equipment, I mean a reliable firearm,\u00a0OC spray<\/a>\u00a0and a Stop the Bleed kit. \u00a0Add a quality pocket sized flashlight to this as well (I am a fan of SureFire flashlights.) \u00a0And let me repeat –\u00a0you must get quality training on how to use these items safely, effectively and legally.\u00a0\u00a0If you’re in Austin, contact Karl Rehn at\u00a0KR Training<\/a>\u00a0and get started. \u00a0You having a gun in your house “just in case” isn’t a plan, and it can be a huge liability if you’re not taking steps to secure it properly in your home. \u00a0And learn how to de-escalate potentially volatile situations. \u00a0All of this is covered in the Texas License to Carry course.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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