What's your number?

Have you ever been to visit a friend's house for the first time? You've already been given the address so after navigating your way there you eventually find the correct street. Arriving at one end you start looking for house numbers – which side of the road is odd, which is even? Now you at least know the side you're supposed to be on. Then you check a few numbers in a row so you know whether the numbers are going up or down. You now know in which direction you’re meant to go.

It can actually get quite time consuming, especially when you can’t even find a house number. Some have names – they may sound lovely but they aren’t very helpful. Some have numbers in small letters or unreadable script – wonderful typography but you have to squint to read it. Others are obscured by foliage – very pretty and if you had the time you might stop to admire the plants more closely, but again it’s not very helpful. It can often take a while to find the right house.

Now think how a first responder might feel trying to do the same thing. Time is limited. They need to respond quickly, potentially to save a life. They cannot afford to waste time driving up and down the street looking at numbers and trying to find the right one. They certainly don’t have time to admire the stunning foliage or the splendid typography.

Always make sure your house number is prominent. Make sure it is fully visible from the road. You never know, it could save your life.

Whose responsibility is sun protection?

I read with some interest an article on the BBC web site about schools having to adopt a comprehensive sun safety policy to ensure that children do not get sunburnt while at school. The article basically implied, or maybe I mistakenly inferred, that teachers should be responsible for the pupils’ protection if they are to go outside.

That sounds great in theory and I fully agree that children should be protected from the sun. Will it work in practice though? I strongly doubt it and I personally think parents should be responsible for educating their children on sun safety and ensuring they wear sun protection.

I guess the two options are that the teachers physically apply the sun lotion to the pupils or they just monitor the application of the sun lotion by the pupils themselves.

Option one, not to mention the time it would take to apply sun lotion to every pupil, would potentially open up a whole load of abuse claims against teachers.

As for option two, I’m supposedly an adult yet I know how difficult my wife finds it to get me to wear sun lotion and in the end it is normally done grudgingly and liberally with lots of places missed. Would that provide any protection to the pupil? No. And when they go outside and get sunburnt, who would be to blame? Apparently the teacher.

The issue is not so much that teachers shouldn't have responsibility, it's that they shouldn't get the blame. With responsibility comes blame, as sad as it is, that's the society we live in.

Next is the question of who would provide the sun lotion? The schools? At what expense would that be? I guess if the teachers are spending half their day applying sun lotion to pupils then they wouldn't have time for so many text books. If parents provide sun lotion but one pupil forgets, should they be banned from going outside with their friends?

I would fully agree with a teacher reminding pupils to wear sun protection if they go outside but responsibility must rest with the parents.

Who you gonna call?

Nearly everyone these days has a mobile phone, a phone that is usually packed full of contacts. Tens, perhaps hundreds, maybe even thousands of phone numbers that could be called.

Not in an emergency though. In an emergency, first responders will want one number that could make the difference between life and death. First responders may want to call someone to find out your medical history, what medication you are on, what allergies you have. In fact, anything that could be a factor in deciding on the best available treatment.

If they don't know who to call however, they probably won't call anyone at all. Common sense as well as confidentiality dictates that they cannot start at the A's and work their way down. So how could you help them?

In your mobile phone address book, insert a new contact, give it the name 'ICE' - in case of emergency - and enter the phone number of the person you would want contacted in an emergency.

This is becoming a standardised system favoured by first responders. When they reach the scene of the incident, they can check the patient's phone and instantly know who the right person is to call. They could instantly find out vital information that helps determine the best course of action.

So when you've finished reading this, spend just one minute entering ICE into your phone, it could save your life.

It’s probably worth mentioning though, if you password protect your mobile phone then there is no point in doing any of this as the first responder would not be able to access it. It’s only some professions that seem to think it’s acceptable to hack into mobile phones.