Be Prepared!

03 Feb 10

Decisive action, with a plan, saves the day. This from a friend:

"Early Sunday morning, my wife experienced a severe allergic attack. Her tongue had suddenly swollen to the point where she was having difficulty breathing. She has had similar reactions before, but never this severe.

I grabbed an EpiPen (epinephrin injector) in an attempt to give her an injection. It failed mechanically. The needle never deployed. I discarded it and grabbed a second EpiPen. This copy functioned normally.

The nearest hospital ER is less than a mile away, so we drove there immediately. Upon arriving, I noticed the ER was nearly empty. Yet, the receptionist there told us to sit and wait! I explained to her that my wife's tongue was swollen, and that she was at risk of suffocating. The obviously bored receptionist couldn't have cared less! She just rolled her eyes, sighed, and explained that we would have to sit down and wait.

When I asked how long, she, with a simultaneous yawn and sneer, indicated she had no idea and couldn't provide any more information.

Without another word, we dashed back to the car and departed immediately, driving several miles to a second hospital. That ER was infinitely superior! They immediately recognized the problem and had her with a resident within minutes. She spent the night at the hospital and was discharged the next day, none the worse for ware!"

Comment: Emergencies don't make appointments, and no one is excluded! When a can of worms suddenly lands in your lap, you're on center-stage, Bud, ready or not!

Let us reiterate:

(1) Be prepared! We can't specifically prepare for all conceivable emergencies, but we can make reasonable preparations for the most likely. That is why the prudent among us have guns, fire extinguishers, trauma kits, et al!

(2) Have a plan, but don't fall in love with your plan. Be flexible, as parts of your plan will inevitably fail.

(3) Expect equipment misfunction. Have sufficient redundancy on hand so you can work around equipment issues. No matter how elaborate or well-maintained, all machines have the irritating habit of breaking at inconvenient times!

(4) Don't relax too soon. Don't relax at all! Keep your head up, and in the game.

(5) Find a way to win! Keep thinking ahead. Have alternatives always in mind.

Operators can't be oblivious to dangers inherent to this indifferent planet. Lives (maybe yours!) depend upon your preparedness and ability to act quickly, decisively, and correctly.

/John