WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN OF ACTION?

BY:  Harry Denegre, President

(This article was published in the June 2024 issue of Lake Magazine)

Five years ago, we were into day three of our family July 4th holiday weekend. We had over 30 members of our family enjoying our holiday weekend at our lake home on Lake Martin. I awoke early and thought I would get up and make coffee for the family. I walked into our bathroom and felt a cramp in my back. I thought I would stretch it out in the closet. I bent over to do a pushup on the bench in the closet. It was then I realized I was having a heart attack and was in trouble. I walked into the kitchen and told my wife I was in trouble. Being a registered nurse, she jumped in to action and had me in my daughters’ car within minutes. We arranged to meet the ambulance at the intersection of Hwy. 34 and Hwy. 49. We met them there and they transported me to Eastern Alabama Medical Center. Everything worked out.

It is moments like this when you realize how fortunate we were. My wife is a registered nurse. My granddaughter is an EMT member and assisted my wife. My daughters’ car was available and had easy access to the roadway. Without a plan, everything was executed correctly without wasting any time.

My point of sharing this experience with all of you is to show how fortunate we were. Having a plan of action beforehand may have made the event go smoother. When we are on holiday and in a place that we may not be familiar with, it is important to know where to call and where to go. When we are in a strange area, we need to know our correct full address, where the closest air transport is located to our residence, best place to meet ambulance for transport, closest medical facilities to where you are. You need to have this information written down and available for immediate use in the event of an emergency.

These are things we think about briefly and dismiss as items we will handle and manage when they occur. We need to pay more attention to these plans prior to needing these plans. They typically involve an accident, a family member or close friend of the family, someone that we are emotionally tied to. They require immediate attention as they may involve life threatening issues. They may involve cardiac issues, bleeding or concussion issues, electrocution issues, chocking issues, natural disaster weather issues, boating issues, drowning issues, burn or fire issues. When they happen, you do not have time to figure out the proper course of action. There is excitement. There is chaos. There is confusion. Devise a plan ahead of time for these grouping of potential emergencies.

Do not assume every place is supported by Ambulance Service. When you are in rural areas, you may find that waiting for ambulance service is not fast and efficient. You should know response time based upon your geographic location from medical facilities. Know if and where medical air services are available. Have their phone number available.

If you are on our beautiful Lake Martin, have a map of the lake available on your boat showing geographic locations. You can get geographic coordinate information off of your cell phone that can give your rescuers your coordinates so they can locate you. Make sure someone on shore knows where you were headed and what time you will be back.

In Tallapoosa County, we have the Tallapoosa EMA. They can be very helpful in assisting you with this type of information before you need them.

We are fortunate to have Mr. Ed Oliver as our state representative. He has been very successful in obtaining emergency vehicles and emergency facilities available to our community.

Every family will have their own emergency requirements based upon their personal health needs. But a basic plan will help everyone prepare and know where this information is so it can be used when needed.

If you own or rent your lake home as an VRBO or Airbnb, this information should be a requirement for you to furnish to your renters. People that are not familiar with the area or the lake can get easily lost and not familiar with medical emergency facilities know where to go. An information packet would be extremely helpful and useful in an emergency.

Please give this some thought and put together a plan for your family.