Preparing for an Emergency When Flying
An Emergency Can Happen on the Ground or in the Air
If you are traveling by air this holiday season, you really should take some time to think about being prepared for an emergency. Many consumers travel via the friendly skies quite a bit, so they tend to tune out the instructions that the flight attendant gives at the beginning of the flight. However, these instructions are very important, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with them if you are unfortunate enough to experience an emergency when traveling this year.
You Might Be Called to Action
Remember that if you are seated near an exit row, you will be expected to take on a leadership role and assist the flight attendants in the event of an emergency. If you are unable or unwilling to do this for any reason, then let your flight attendant know so that you can be assigned a new seat. Either way it is very important for you to know how far you are seated from the emergency exit in your plane. Assuming you won’t have any lights if faced with an emergency, you will need to feel your way to the emergency exit. You should know exactly how many seats you are from the emergency exit. This can help you evacuate the plane if you need to.
Get A Seat For Your Child - No Matter How Young
Airlines don’t always require passengers who are traveling with infants to buy a separate seat. Sometimes you aren’t even required to buy a separate seat until your child is 2 years of age. However, if you are traveling coach, you will have more room if you buy a separate seat for your child. Also, if for some reason the oxygen masks need to be used, you will have an oxygen mask in the seat that you purchased in addition to your own.
Stop, Drop and Roll Does Not Always Apply
Typically if you are on fire, you are supposed to stop, drop, and roll. This might not always be the best choice if your plane has just crashed. There have been cases where people have ignited further because they rolled on the ground where fuel had spilled out after their plane crashed. In an emergency, you might not always be able to react quickly enough, but if you smell fuel, it is possible that some fuel has leaked out.
Keep the above tips in mind if you are traveling by plane this holiday season. Dealing with an emergency can be unpleasant and dangerous, so being prepared can definitely help.