8 Ways to Keep Your Family Safe When the Unexpected Happens

“Tove, this is Tina from your children’s soccer camp. Your boys were not picked up by Susan today. They are still here in the office with me. I have been trying to reach Susan for the past hour, but her cell phone goes to voice mail!” (Names and locations have been changed.)

Imagine receiving that call. You THINK you know where your kids are at all times, even as a working mother. You have your logistics meticulously planned so you can anticipate at any given moment what your children are doing. But when something unexpected happens to your always-reliable carpool friend, then what?

Where are your kids? Are they safe? How do you find your friend? Who takes care of her children now? Do you have authority to pick up her children? Do you have her husband’s phone number? How do you keep your family safe when the unexpected happens?

I hope you read my previous post about the importance of planning for the unexpected. I promised I would share some awesome information with you, and I will – because the scenario I just described happened to us about a year ago.

Thankfully my friend was found… but she was in the hospital. She had been in a car accident on her way to pick up our kids who play sports together. I didn’t have her husband’s contact information, but I was able to pick up her children because we live in a small town, and the coaches knew both of us. I eventually found someone who knew someone who had her husband’s work phone number. But what if… WHAT IF…

[bctt tweet=”Who will keep your family safe when the unexpected happens? #Family #Emergency Plan #Printable! “]

Instead of speculating about the unknown and the hypotheticals, let’s put a family plan in place. Let’s be proactive and prepare for the unexpected, and then hope and pray that we never have to use any of it!
These “family emergency plan” ideas are easily implemented and they don’t cost anything, so please don’t delay!

Preparing for the unexpected:

Complete this Contact Information sheet and print several copies. It is important to fill in the information for all the members of your household.
- Keep a completed form in your home and in the glove compartment of all your vehicles.
- Give a copy to two of your best friends.

Confirm that both your spouse and your best friends have each other’s contact information.
- With the extinction of the landline home phone, it is important to share valuable contact information among the people closest to you.
Update the contact information with your child’s school and caregivers.
- This is the perfect time of year to make sure that all the people who care for your child have access to your current emergency information.
- Remember to give two of your best friends authorization to pick up your children from school/ day care.

Update the “Emergency Information” on your iPhone.
- Follow these easy instructions, it can change the outcome of an emergency situation!
Make an “In Case of Emergency” (ICE) contact on your phone.
- My husband’s contact is saved in my phone with the letters “ICE” in front of his name.
- This will alert first responders that he is the person they need to contact in case of an emergency.
Put a sticker on your children’s car seats with their name, DOB and any medical conditions.
- This can save your child’s life in case you are in a car accident and unable to communicate with the emergency crew.
Create a family password.
- The family password will be used in the event that you are unable to pick up your children.
- Teach your children not to go with anyone, unless that knows the family password.
- Explain that anyone picking them up will know the family password.
- Share the family password with a few trusted friends and relatives who you have authorized to pick up your children from school or day care.
Wear a RoadID or medical alert bracelet, and have one for your children with medical conditions. (Check them out at www.Roadid.com)
- My husband wears a RoadID when he is out for a long run, since he doesn’t carry his ID.
  - The Road ID has his name, date of birth and my phone number.
  - He doesn’t have any medical conditions, but this is IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, first responders will know who he is and who they should contact.
- I wear a RoadID listing my medical conditions and allergies.
  - It also has my name and my husband’s cell phone number.

These tips don’t take the place of the long-term and legal precautionary measures all families should take, which I will cover in a later blog post. For now, please implement a Family Emergency Plan for your loved ones today. Remember: the unexpected happens unexpectedly!

What measures have you taken to keep your family safe in case the unexpected happens? (Please share in the comments)