There are 3 health and safety issues you want to discuss with your Nanny. 1. Medical Emergencies
2. Earthquake and Flood Preparedness
3. Fire and Police
Medical Emergencies
Before leaving your child with your Nanny for the first time, be certain you have posted a list of names and contact numbers of people who can be reached in a medical emergency. Don’t put the list in a drawer or on a cluttered bulletin board! Your Nanny may not find it when she needs it.
There are three levels of medical emergencies that can occur with children. Review these with your
Nanny and provide her with the important information and paperwork to handle them.
Level I: The Expectable Bumps and Bruises of Daily Life
Children fall, bump their head or scratch their knees. Nannies should treat the injury and contact the parents when they return home.
• Nannies should know where to locate the first aid supplies in the home and car.
Level II: Child’s Health Requires Immediate Attention
Children can injure themselves, suddenly spike a fever or otherwise require immediate medical attention. Nannies should contact the parents immediately and together decide a course of action. This may require an emergency visit to the pediatrician, after-hours clinic or hospital.
• Nannies should carry an Emergency Medical Treatment Form in their purse, car and know where to locate one in the home. This form contains all the information medical personnel need to begin treatment without waiting for the parents to show up.
• Nannies should know where the pediatrician’s office, after-hours clinic and hospital emergency room is located. The Nanny’s name should be in the child’s medical record file so she is known to be the child’s caregiver.
Level III: 911 Call
Nannies should recognize when a 911 call is required and what information to provide when making the call. Nannies should call 911 first and then contact the parents.
• Information to give 911 Operator
a. Address (House Number, Street, City and Cross Street)
b. Telephone number (including area code)
c. Number of people injured
d. Names of the children injured
e. Ages of the children injured
f. Nature of the emergency (burn, broken, can’t breathe, choking, heart stopped
Disaster Preparedness
Because San Francisco and the Bay Area are high risk for earthquakes and mud slides review with your Nanny the procedures for handling these disasters. Show her the location of the Emergency Disaster Kit and where you will all meet if it is not safe to be in your home. A disaster kit should be located near the safest exit of your home and an additional kit in the car.
• Nannies should have contact information for two responsible adults who live out of state and who would be notified of the Nanny and child’s location when a disaster occurs. Cell phones for local calls are not reliable in a disaster.
Note: The American Red Cross has an excellent APP for creating a Disaster Plan! From your mobile phone, download the APP directly from the APP link and search for “redcross”. Download the Earthquake Notification APP - or call "**REDCROSS" (**73327677) and they will send you a link to download the quake alert app to your iPhone or Android device or you can download them directly from the iTunes or Google Play app stores.
Fire Safety
Review the location of and how to use the fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in your home. A Nanny should also know the best escape routes from your home in a fire and how to find them if there is thick smoke.
Police Safety
If you have a burglar alarm system in your home, review the procedures to activate/deactivate the alarm, including the code to provide the response unit when an alarm is sounded so they know it is a valid call