KidBits

Emergency Plans

Kids will feel safer and you'll rest easier if you discuss emergency plans with them in advance.  Before any outing to a large public place, decide where you'll meet if you get separated.  Outline what they should do if they are lost.  Discuss outdoor safety before venturing onto trails.

Fanny Packs

Each child should carry/wear a fanny pack or small backpack.  The child should be made to carry this bag themselves, so make sure it is an appropriate size for the child to comfortably wear.  This pack will contain items that could save your child's life in an emergency.  No matter how much whining and complaining the child does, they MUST be responsible for this pack themselves.  It CAN NOT save your child's life if Mom or Dad is talked into carrying it for them.  Each pack should contain the following items (each item should be discussed with your child, so they know the appropriate time and way to use them).

Emergency Money

Enough money should be given to the child so if they are lost from you, they will be able to purchase a small meal, as well as have enough coins to make several pay phone calls.  Make sure even small children know how to operate a pay telephone (at least inserting coins and dialing 911).  Make sure the child knows they are not allowed to use this money for any reason other than an emergency.  Define emergency to younger children as follows:  Anytime you can't find an adult that you know to take care of you, or any time that you are not with Mommy or Daddy and are scared.

Identification

Each child should have in their possession a card stating their name, age, address, telephone number, parents' names, and where you are staying while away from home.  We recommend a picture postcard of the lodging where you are registered and simply write the other information on the back.  Small children are sometimes too frightened to remember names and places.

Plastic Poncho

Each pack should contain a plastic poncho (the disposable kind fold up small enough to fit into even the smallest bags and cost under $2.00).  Children should be told to put on the poncho if lost outside at night.  (Be sure to instruct on the dangers of suffocation by plastic.)  The poncho should be put on as the sun goes down.  Even in the warmest summer months, the mountains can become cool at night.  This garment will not only keep the child dry, the plastic will help prevent loss of body heat.  This very inexpensive item could be the most important in saving your child's life.

Treats

A couple of candy bars and a small bag of peanuts should be kept in everyone's fanny pack.  (Make sure that children do not eat these just as snacks throughout the trip.)  These should be kept and eaten only in the case of being lost overnight or in chilly weather, and should be rationed.  The sugar and carbohydrates will help keep the energy level and body heat elevated.  (Also a stick of gum tucked into the bag will help keep someone comfortable when water isn't readily available.)

Whistle

A good quality, loud, sports whistle is a must in the mountains.  This whistle can be used to locate and signal for help, answer a call for help and is also useful to ward off inquisitive animals.  A cry for help is 3/3's--three groups of three means distress.  Everyone should know to blow three loud whistles/three consecutive times to call for help.  A whistle carries farther than the human voice and won't go hoarse.

Light

A small flashlight in the fanny pack is an excellent idea.  Make sure it is equipped with new batteries.  (Alkaline or lithium batteries last longest.)  The light can be seen if you are searching for your child at night and also does a great deal to make the child feel more secure.  Nighttime can be scary itself; nighttime on a mountain can be terrifying.

Buddy System

Everyone should have a traveling companion.  Assign your travelers a partner for the trip.  Traveling on the "Buddy System" is one of safety's best rules.  It is much harder to get lost in twos, it is much easier to be found in twos, and if something does happen, it is much less frightening if you have a partner.  Make it a rule that no one goes anywhere without their buddy.

Stop-N-Stay

Stop and stay, never stray.  A moving target is harder to hit, just like a moving child is harder to find.  Tell your child that if they get lost, the best thing to do is stop where they are.  Find a comfortable, hopefully dry, place to wait.  Impress on them that you will be looking for them, and they will be easier to find (and waste less energy) if they stay in one spot.  They shouldn't move unless they are trying to avoid danger or the elements.

Sound

This is an important rule for children, when teaching them to beware of strangers and the risk of being abducted.  Sound will help ward off unwanted advances.  It also applies if lost in the mountains.  Tell them to use their whistles, pound with a large stick or bang a stone against a larger rock.  They will be easier to find and less likely to be abducted if they are making a great deal of noise.  If you're lost, that is an excellent time to be your most obnoxious.