Emergency and health procedures

C. Emergency and Health Procedures

For a PDF of this handout, click here.

Universal health precautions

There are at least two serious, basically incurable diseases which are spread by mixing of bodily fluids: AIDS and hepatitis B. Every classroom should have a first aid kit with a supply of latex gloves (if your first aid kit is missing, please notify the associate minister of religious education). For any activity which will bring you into contact with another person’s bodily fluids (child or adult) — changing diapers, putting on a band-aid, etc. — use those gloves. It may seem difficult to wait to put on rubber gloves before you comfort a child who has cut themselves, but you can learn to comfort children with words first, hands later. Daycare centers and preschools, and some other schools, have been using this policy for years, and you will find that children are quite accustomed to it.

If you give first aid to a legal minor

If you or another adult have to administer any form of first aid, including just putting a band-aid on a child, you must fill out the first aid reporting form titled “Ouch Report” (see below). Make two copies of this form. One copy of this form goes to the parent or guardian of the child, and a second copy goes to the Associate Minister of Religious Education, who will keep it on file. This form allows us to communicate effectively with parents/guardians, and keep a record of first aid.

Emergency evacuations (such as fires)

Review the evacuation plans posted in your classroom so you know which door to leave from in case of an emergency evacuation. During an emergency evacuation, all Sunday school groups will assemble in the front play area (see your classroom’s emergency evacuation plan). We will assemble there to be out of the way of emergency vehicles such as fire trucks, so please stay within the fence.

Be sure to bring your attendance record during emergency evacuations! Once all the groups are assembled following an emergency evacuation, we will take attendance to be sure all children are out of the buildings. If any children are missing, we will immediately inform emergency personnel.

Parents/guardians will be informed of the assembly point for children during evacuations.

For classroom evacuation plans, click here.

Above: When leaving the classroom during an emergency evacuation or a fire drill, be sure to take your class attendance book with you.

Earthquakes

In case of an earthquake, follow these recommendations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Web site:

If indoors: DROP to the ground;
Take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and
HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building. Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.

Be aware that some earthquakes are actually fore-shocks and a larger earthquake might occur. Minimize your movements to a few steps to a nearby safe place and stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe. Research has shown that most injured occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.

Wait until the shaking stops, then gather at the assembly point, in the front play area.

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“Ouch Report”
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Use this form whenever you give first aid to a legal minor in your group — even if all you did was put on a band-aid.

Age group:

Date and Time:

Your name:

Your co-teacher’s name:

Name of child to whom you gave first aid:

What first aid did you have to give?

What incident happened that the child needed first aid? Please describe the incident briefly.

Who witnessed this incident?

____ Check here if you observed Universal Health Precautions.
____ Check here if you had to call 911.
____ Check here if you notified the parents by giving them a copy of this form.

Thank you for handling this incident!

______Date read by Associate Minister of Religious Education