Phone Book Help

The Pacific Bell phonebook is handy to keep in your car, but not just for local phone numbers. It also has a six page First Aid and Survival Guide starting in the B section at the front of the book, that has information on:
• - Bleeding
• - Breathing
• - Broken Bones
• - Burns
• - Earthquake
• - Electric Shock
• - Heart Attack
• - Poisoning
• - Seizure
• - Telephone use in emergencies: what to tell the 911 operator, what to do until help arrives.

Whenever you get new replacement phone books, be sure to cut out these pages in the old books, and keep them in a clear bag in your car, your sports bag, in your office for reference.

Cell Phone Emergency Numbers

When you dial 911 from a cellular phone while in the Bay Area, your call is answered by the California Highway Patrol office in Vallejo (or CHP in Monterey if you are calling from south of Morgan Hill). If you are reporting a traffic accident, this is precisely where you want to call.

However, if you want to reach the San Jose Police or Fire Dept. (through the Office of Emergency Services, which is where 911 calls go to when you dial them from home) to dispatch an ambulance or police car to a home or other city location other than a highway roadside, you need to call a different number from your cell phone.

Here is the list of San Jose City Emergency numbers that you can program into your cell phone or home speed dial buttons:

Keep in mind that, even though the city can identify your location when you dial 911 from home, the CHP cannot identify your location when you call from a cell phone, so be prepared to give them an accurate description of the location to which they should send help.

Vial of Life

The City of San Jose has implemented a “Vial of L.I.F.E.” program that makes your critical medical information easily available to 911 response teams when they enter your home due to an emergency call. “L.I.F.E.” stands for Lifesaving Information for Emergencies.

The city provides a form that you fill out with important data that you would want an ambulance team to know about you. Then you roll up the form and store the information in a small plastic bottle that looks like a very oversize prescription pill container. Keep this information in your refrigerator. Ambulance teams are trained to look in people’s refrigerators for this critical information, and the city provides a refrigerator magnet that reminds you to keep the information updated and serves as a notice to ambulance teams to look for the information inside the refrigerator.

Anyone can pick up these bottles and forms from their local fire station. Call 277-4084 or contact:
www.sjff.org for the San Jose Fire Fighters, or
www.ci.san-jose.ca.us for “San Jose Prepared!”

Stuck on the Road?

Bad weather, traffic accidents, natural disasters, personal disasters, car problems, getting lost, and now unexpected power outages can all result in your being left stranded on a roadside or in traffic for many weary hours. Supplies can prevent an annoyance from becoming disastrous, especially if you have children in the car. Create your own personalized emergency car kit by packing nylon sports bags or backpacks to keep in the car with:

• bottled water and ready-to-eat food for people/pets
• flashlights, radios, hazard lights, and extra batteries
• cell phone or CB radio, road flares,
• comfortable sturdy shoes, layers of clothes, hats
• rain gear or poncho, sturdy gloves, rain boots
• first aid kit and manual, medications, latex gloves
• extra glasses/contacts, sunglasses, sun lotion
• maps of any area you are traveling to and through
• blankets/sleeping bags, plastic sheeting, sun shield
• toilet kit: plastic bucket/lid, plastic bags, toilet paper and wet wipes, disinfectant, liquid soap, bleach
• motion sickness pills, plastic vomit bags with ties
• car tools: jumper cables, tire jack, tire inflator kit
• Swiss army knife, whistle, alert flag, big trash bags
• fire starter kit: dry matches or metal flint, and cotton balls with petroleum jelly (to use like kindling)
• fire extinguisher rated to include electrical fires
• extra cash, insurance policy # and agent phone #
• games, books for kids/adults; toys, leashes for pets

Leave a note on your dash if you have to leave your car. Preparation makes it easier for everyone to cope with the stress of delays, injuries and inconvenience.

Heat Stroke – It’s no joke.

Heat stroke is life threatening. The victim’s temperature control system stops working, and body temperature rises quick enough to cause brain damage or death. Signs: hot, red skin; changes in consciousness; rapid weak pulse; fast shallow breathing. Cool off and call 911 fast to get help!

American Red Cross Babysitting classes

This class is for kids ages 11-16. In this class they learn how to interview for a babysitting job, make responsible decisions, supervise children, keep kids and themselves safe, choose safe and age-appropriate toys. Skills taught include: rescue breathing, first aid for choking, first aid for bleeding, and basic care (diapering, holding, feeding and dressing) for infants and small children.

If you are interested in signing up someone for a Babysitting class or adult CPR and First Aid training class, contact the Red Cross at:
Santa Clara Valley Chapter
2731 N. First Street, San Jose
408-577-1000, fax 408-577-2050
Kevin McCarthy, Director 408-577-2175
www.redcross.org/ca/scv

Emergency Preparedness Classes

The City of San Jose conducts emergency preparedness training classes for $10 each on earthquake preparedness, first aid, search and rescue, and fire safety at the Villages and in downtown San Jose. To see the schedule and register for classes go to:
http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/oes/sanjoseprepared/Classcal.htm

If you just want to know the basics about family safety, take Module 1 of this series of preparedness classes. You can take the other classes anytime – you don’t have to sign up for all four. One class may teach you all you need to protect your family and your neighborhood from any minor or major trauma. Module 1 in this series will be held in the San Jose Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 855 North San Pedro.

Classes are offered continually throughout the year -- see the website for class schedule. For those who have taken the first 4 classes already, there is now a free 5th module on Terrorism. To register, contact:
Bob Steinberg, 277-4598 or fax 277-3345
email: sjprepared@ci.sj.ca.us, or robert.steinberg@sanjoseca.gov
website: www.ci-san-jose.ca.us/oes/sanjoseprepared

“San Jose Prepared!” Classes
Mod 1: Home Preparedness (prerequisite for Mod 2—4)
Mod 2: Fire Suppression and Hazardous Materials
Mod 3: Disaster Medicine and Disaster Psychology
Mod 4: Light Search and Rescue
Mod 5: Graduation/Terrorism Presentation (free)

Summer Projects for Kids

Once school is out, parents can always use some new project ideas to help keep kids busy. Have your kids help assemble their own Summer Safety Back-Packs to keep in the car or carry with them wherever they go -- to swim practice, a friend’s house, or the beach:
• - Extra clothes for an emergency: sweatshirt and sweatpants, comfy shoes and socks, underwear, a T-shirt and shorts;
• - A small water bottle and a few snack bars. Teach your kids to restock the water and food each time they come back in, so it will be ready to go.
• - A personal First Aid kit: a Ziploc bag of Band-Aids, pain relieving ointment, sunscreen, Vaseline, any regularly used prescription medication that the child needs daily, and a brief description of the child’s medical history for the benefit of any adults who may end up assisting your child;
• - A small flashlight with extra batteries in a zip lock bag and a glow-in-the-dark stick. Show your child how to use the flashlight, how to replace dead batteries, and how to activate the stick.
• - A clearly printed and preferably plasticized list of phone numbers for family, doctors, neighbors, or other care-givers who can help out in an emergency. A photo of parents or other family on the back side would be helpful, and a comfort to the child. Pin this to the inside of the Back-Pack so it can’t get lost.
Teach your child what is in the back-pack and why, so they will understand when to use their supplies.

Christmas Gift Ideas

• A Serious Flashlight (3 “D” size batteries)
• First aid book
• Fire extinguisher (ABC type)
• Personalized car safety kit (nylon tote bag with water, snacks, flashlight, light sticks, first aid supplies, blanket, reading glasses, maps, road flares)
• Portable radios
• Smoke detectors
• A gift certificate from you to help earthquake proof the house

Summer Projects for Kids

Mobile phones can ignite fuel or fumes. Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition. Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn mowers or boats! Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, (i.e. solvents, chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc.)

Four Rules for Safe Refueling at the Gas Pump
1. Turn off engine.
2. Don't smoke.
3. Don't use your cell phone - turn it off.
4. Don't re-enter your vehicle during fueling.

Bob Renkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try and make people aware of fires as a result of "static electricity" at gas pumps. His company has researched 150 cases of these fires.

His results were very surprising:
1. Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.
2. Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas. When finished, they went back to pull the nozzle out and the fire started, as a result of a static charge.
3. Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
4. Most men never get back in their vehicle until completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
5. Don't ever use cell phones when pumping gas.
6. It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire when connected with static charges.
7. There were 29 fires where the vehicle was re-entered and the nozzle was touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models. Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.
8. Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.

Static charge from car seats
Mr. Renkes stresses to NEVER get back into your vehicle while filling it with gas. If you absolutely HAVE to get in your vehicle while the gas is pumping, make sure you get out, close the door TOUCHING THE METAL, before you ever pull the nozzle out. This way the static from your body will be discharged before you ever remove the nozzle.

As mentioned earlier, The Petroleum Equipment Institute, along with several other companies now, are really trying to make the public aware of this danger. You can find out more information by going to www.pei.org. Once here, click in the center of the screen where it says "Stop Static". Pass this information to ALL your family and friends, especially those who have kids in the car with them while pumping gas.

Red Cross Training Classes

The American Red Cross offers training classes year around at their training locations in Palo Alto (near Stanford Shopping Center), in San Jose (on First Street near Trimble), and in Gilroy (on Monterey Avenue).
• - CPR and First Aid Classes, 408/577-2178 (at cost)
• - Disaster Volunteer Training, 408-577-2023 (free!)