KEEPING YOU SAFE ON GOTLAND This booklet from Region Gotland can save lives!

This is to help you. And others. This booklet can save lives. How do you react in a crisis? What do you do when you or someone close by needs help quickly? Learn how to avoid accidents both in and outside the home. What are the biggest dangers for children and older people? How do you recognise the symptoms of a stroke? What do you do if there’s an incident at sea, or if someone’s bitten by a snake? Do you remember to close windows and doors if there’s a fire? We have put together answers to many questions you may have in this booklet. Whatever your level of experience, the answers can help you save lives. Read the booklet and be better prepared if an emergency situation arises. And, don’t forget to keep a First Aid kit in your car, on your boat and at home!

ICE – In Case of Emergency ICE means putting information about people to contact in the event of an accident into the directory on your mobile phone. Put in the letters ‘ICE’ and then the name and phone number of your next of kin. To make sure ICE can be used worldwide, remember to add the country code +46 and leave out the zero in the area code. If you want to add several contacts, use ICE1, ICE2 etc.

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Contents Safety in the home

Creepy-crawlies and other wrigglies

Raising the alarm

4–5

6

7

8–9

Swimming, sailing and ice awareness

Flooding

Fire

Emergency information

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11

12

13

Managing without help for three days

Emergency management

Important phone numbers

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15

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First Aid

Medical advice service at 1177.se and on telephone number: 1177 1177.se has information and practical advice about illnesses, examinations, self-care and medicines. The information is compiled by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. You can get medical advice by phone by calling 1177 any time of day or night. An experienced nurse will give you advice and guidance on what you should do and who to turn to.

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Safety in the home Half of all accidents involving children happen at home or close to home. It is important to be aware of the dangers and to make things as childproof as possible. We all know how inquisitive children are, and because they like to explore they are often at risk of falling and hurting themselves. There is plenty of advice available, but the most important tips are to have a gate on your stairs, an anti-tipping device on your cooker and child locks on windows, balcony doors, cupboards and drawers.

Useful tips! • Many items can get stuck in the throat of a child or a baby, so check what is lying around. • Keep chemicals, lighter fluids, corrosive substances, medicines and dangerous items, locked away out of the reach of children, not forgetting any over-the-counter medicine. Many poisoning incidents involving children happen when an adult forgets to put a bottle away after use or puts what is left of a dangerous substance into a soft drinks or juice bottle which is left where a child can get hold of it.

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• Check that power points, socket extensions and junction boxes cannot be tampered with. To be extra safe, equip power points with circuit breakers and safety covers. • Try to minimise risks by removing tablecloths and don’t leave hot pans on the table unsupervised. • Remember that not all homes are childproof, so be especially alert when visiting other people’s houses.

A personal alarm is useful if you need to call for help. Region Gotland’s regional information service can help you with this if you call +46 (0)498-26 90 00.

Falls are the most common accidents for older people. Rugs that slide or have curled edges, trailing cables, slippery pavements and roads and poor lighting both in the house and in stairwells are common causes of injuries that require hospital treatment. Most accidents happen at home, so to prevent falls it’s a good idea to carry out a safety check of your house.

Useful tips! • Fix trailing cables so that they are not lying loose on the floor. • Make sure you have good lighting by your bed to reduce the risk of falling when getting in or out of bed. • Have more than one telephone in the house. • Fit your cooker with a timer. • Have non-slip mats in the bathroom and shower.

• Anti-slip strips under normal rugs can prevent them sliding about. • Ice grips for shoes can be useful in the winter to avoid slipping outdoors. LL TRI

INT

! Find out more about how ULL K I you can prevent falls at http://www.gotland.se/ fallskador. The site also has a ‘Look after yourself’ brochure, with a checklist for a safer home.

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Creepy-crawlies and other wrigglies Insects

Insect bites can sometimes be painful. Bites are not usually dangerous, but they can be itchy and become red and swollen. Covering with a plaster can help prevent someone scratching the bite. Reduce the itching with over-the-counter medicine and try dabbing with alsol ointment, as it usually has a soothing effect.

Useful tips!

Snakes

The adder is the only poisonous snake found in the wild in Sweden. If you are bitten, keep the part of the body that has been bitten still, and get help at a medical centre or hospital. You can never be certain how you might react to a bite, and a snakebite may also pose a risk of tetanus. It is particularly important for children, pregnant women and older people to seek medical attention straightaway.

If you are bitten • Wash the affected area with soap and water. • Wherever the bite is, it is important to keep still. • Keep the part of the body that has been bitten elevated if possible. • Remove any jewellery, shoes and watches before the affected area swells. • Don’t touch the affected area.

If you are uncertain, contact the medical advice service for advice on 1177.

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Call 112 immediately if you experience any of the following: • Nausea • Stomach pains • Diarrhoea • Cold sweat • Palpitations • Dizziness • Difficulty breathing • Paleness • Significant swelling

Raising the alarm When you call 112, be ready to answer a number of questions from the person who takes your call. The police, ambulance, or emergency services will be alerted while you are on the phone. Say • What has happened • Where help is needed • What telephone number you are ringing from • Who you are

In the event of fire • Is anyone in danger? • What is on fire? • How extensive is the fire?

If someone is hurt or ill, explain • The extent of the injury • Are they unconscious/trapped? • Indoors/outdoors? • Who is it that is injured/unwell? • Name, sex, age

Do you rent out your house? Make sure your tenants know the address!

Call the 112 emergency number to save lives and property. But only if it’s really necessary! With a call to 112 you can get through to the • Ambulance service • Emergency social services • On-call doctor • Customs • Emergency services • Poisons Information Centre • Police • On-call priest • Sea/air rescue • On-call dentist • Maritime environmental services 7

First Aid L-BBC – a good shorthand memory jogger when administering First Aid. The letters indicate how to prioritise in the event of an accident. Life-threatening situation The injured person is in immediate danger and must be moved to avoid serious injury. Breathing Is the person breathing? Do they have a heartbeat? Give artificial respiration by the mouth-to-mouth method if necessary. Bleeding Stem any heavy bleeding. Keep the affected part of the body elevated and apply a bandage. Circulatory failure/shock Treat the person gently, keep them warm and still, and position them with their legs raised. Never give liquid to a person in shock, as they may have internal injuries that you are not yet aware of!

Has someone had a stroke? Use FAST. Face  Can the person smile and show their teeth? If their mouth is drooping on one side, call 112! Arm weakness  Can the person raise their arms and keep them there for 10 seconds? If one arm falls, call 112! Speech problems Can the person repeat a simple sentence such as ‘It’s a lovely day today’? If the person’s speech is slurred or they can’t say the right words, call 112!

Time - every second counts! 8

First Aid for mental illness 1 Assess the situation – make contact 2 Listen openly and without judgement 3 Offer support and information 4 Encourage the person to seek professional help 5 Support the person to find other sources of help

Recovery position If a person is unconscious but breathing, place them in the recovery position, which makes breathing easier and helps to prevent a person choking if they vomit. This is how to place someone in the recovery position

If the person is showing no signs of life

Start CPR

Remember that a person in recovery position must be constantly monitored!

• Get help – call 112 • Start CPR • Alternate between first 30 chest compressions and then two rescue breaths • Continue until the ambulance has arrived 1

Place your hands in the centre of the chest and press the chest down about five or six centimetres, keeping your arms straight. Press down 30 times at a rate of about 100 times a minute.

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Continue by giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. First open the airways by tilting the person’s head backwards. Lift up their chin and pinch their nose.

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Take a normal breath and gently blow into their mouth. Their chest should rise. Give two rescue breaths.

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Continue to alternate between 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until the ambulance has arrived. 9

Swimming, sailing and ice awareness Gotland has an extensive coastline and a number of marshy areas or lakes. Many of us like to spend a day or two in summer or winter by a lake, at a beach or in a bay. And more and more of us travel abroad for holidays by the sea. There are few things more useful than learning to swim, both for our own safety and that of others. Being able to swim means safer play both in, on and around water. Here are some tips to make you even safer when swimming, sailing or on ice.

Swimming

Sailing

• Always swim with someone else. • Swim parallel to the beach. • Don’t jump or dive into water you’re not familiar with. • Don’t swim under jetties or diving boards. • Don’t run on the side of the pool or on jetties. • Don’t play with life-saving equipment. • If there’s an incident, always have an object between you and the person in difficulty. • In a strong wind, currents may take you away from the beach. Learn more about the currents at www.dinsakerhet.se

• Stay sober, and always wear a life jacket! • Always sit when in the boat and place yourself so that the boat is balanced. • Don’t have more people in the boat than the boat is designed for. • Don’t change position in the boat unless it’s necessary, and then only one at a time. • If you fall into the water, stay by the boat. • When rescuing someone who has got into trouble, lift them onto the boat at the stern.

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Ice

• Don’t venture onto ice unless you are sure it will hold. Black (clear) ice should be at least 10 cm thick. Always test ice with an ice pike if you are unsure.

• Never venture onto ice alone and never leave children alone on or by ice. • Always have ice claws and other safety equipment with you. • Remember that new ice, spring ice, snow-covered ice and sea ice may be weak – make sure you know where the weak points in the ice are. • Always tell someone where you are going to be and when you think you will be back. • The faster you travel, the further out on to the weak ice you will be if it breaks, making a rescue more difficult. • If an accident does happen, make sure there is always something between the lifesaver and the person in difficulty.

Flooding As a property owner, you have an important role to play in preventing flooding. The risk of flooding is greatest when there has been heavy rainfall or a rapid thaw which can lead to a temporary overloading of the drainage system. If you are unlucky, water may force its way into the cellar via floor drains or other drainage/sewerage connections. Flooding may also be caused by water escaping from a leaking appliance such as a broken-down dishwasher or washing machine, or by extremely cold weather when damage can easily be caused by below-zero temperatures.

Useful tips! • Turn off the water supply to your house if you are going to be away for some time.

If your cellar floods, remember to

• Don’t store valuable or delicate items on the floor of your cellar as they may suffer damp damage.

• Get help to pump the space out.

• Put a waste bin in your bathroom so that only toilet paper goes down the toilet. • During the winter, make sure there is a source of heat by the water meter so that it doesn’t freeze and break.

• Switch off any electrical supply to the flooded area. • Move items susceptible to damp elsewhere. • Adopt hygiene precautions if you have contact with waste water. • Contact your insurance company.

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Fire In the home

A fire can spread quickly from one room to the next and a situation can develop extremely rapidly. A closed door can be crucial to the outcome in preventing a fire from spreading for vital minutes. This is particularly important for fires in flats – a closed front door prevents the fire from spreading and the stairwell will not fill with smoke so quickly.

Open-air fires

Anyone organising a fire in the open, e.g. to burn twigs and branches, is responsible for ensuring the bonfire is safe and for preventing it from spreading. For more information, visit www.gotland.se/eldautomhus

Fireplaces

Having the chimney swept is an important aspect of fire safety in the home, so take care to ensure that this is done, along with fire safety checks.

Useful tips! • A fire detector is probably the cheapest form of life insurance you can have. You should check regularly that it is working. If you have a house on several floors, you should have a fire detector on each floor plus one in every bedroom.

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• A cooker guard device can be installed by the cooker and connected to a timer, a fire detector, or both. The device cuts off the current to the cooker if it has been left on by accident and can prevent a very common cause of fire.

• All fires start small. Having a fire extinguisher in the house reduces the impact of a fire.

• A timer that can automatically cut off the electricity supply to, say, a coffee maker or an iron is also an excellent investment.

• Clothes, bedclothes, and pots and pans on fire can be smothered effectively with a fire blanket.

Remember, always call 112 if you cannot deal with the situation yourself!

Emergency information In the event of a major incident, information will be communicated to the public in the following ways: • On P4 Radio Gotland 100.2 MHz, on Region Gotland’s website (www.gotland.se) and at www.krisinformation.se • Via Region Gotland’s emergency information number • A VMA (Important Message to the Public) will be broadcast on radio and television • You can call 113 13 for information about an ongoing incident

Important Message to the Public (VMA) In the event of a gas leak, a major fire or a serious accident, the VMA warning signal may be used to warn residents. In larger communities, the signal is given by sirens. Television and radio will carry text and voice messages. Text messages may also be sent via SMS. The warning signal sounds as follows: A 7-second signal – silence for 14 seconds, a 7-second signal – silence for 14 seconds, a 7-second signal.

The warning signal will sound for at least two minutes. When you hear the signal, you must: • Go indoors.

• Close doors and windows and shut off ventilation. • Listen to P4 Radio Gotland on 100.2 MHz for further information. When the danger has passed, the ‘Danger Over’ signal will sound, which consists of a continuous signal lasting 30– 40 seconds.

The ‘Important Message to the Public’ and ‘Danger Over’ signals are tested at 3 pm every normal working Monday in March, June, September and December. Information is also given on the radio when testing. Page 100 of Swedish public service television (SVT)’s Text-TV service will state when a VMA situation has arisen and will refer to page 599 on Text-TV for more information; this page will display the same message as on the radio. 13

Managing without help for three days We live in a modern country where most of us have a safe and secure lifestyle with numerous conveniences. But a modern society is also a vulnerable one. How prepared are you if anything should happen? Swedish emergency planning is based on everyone taking shared responsibility for their own safety and that of their family. By this we mean that you must be prepared so that you can cope with any difficult situation and deal with any urgent needs that arise. If there is a serious incident or emergency, it may take several days before normal services resume. How will you manage – with no electricity, no heating, and no food in the shops?

Plan ahead Managing several days without electricity, water or food is not easy. But most of us can do it if we plan ahead. If we can cope with the first few days of emergency, we can make it easier for those most affected. The community’s resources can then be used to help those who are weak and vulnerable, for example older people, the sick or disabled, and children.

Useful tips! In an emergency, it is possible that you might have to manage without heating, lighting, water and much else. Here we have put together some tips on how you can get yourself prepared and what might be useful to have in the house.

Water and food • Water cans • Food items that don’t require refrigeration • A camping stove with fuel • A grill for use outdoors Heating and lighting • An alternative source of heat, if possible • A torch, and spare batteries • Candles, tealights and matches • Warm clothes and blankets 14

Information • Radio and batteries • A paper list of important telephone numbers Other • Medicine chest with the items you need most • Personal hygiene items • Cash

For more information, visit www.dinsakerhet.se

Emergency management – Region Gotland Region Gotland has overall responsibility for emergency management, working together with the police, the County Administrative Board, the armed forces, coastguards and other authorities as well as private and voluntary bodies. However, it is vital that individual residents know what has to be done in the event of emergencies such as flooding and power failure. Being able to deal with serious and exceptional incidents, whether they affect the whole of Gotland or only parts of it, requires both preparation and practice. Region Gotland works constantly to reduce vulnerabilities in its operations and to increase its ability to handle any emergency situation that might arise. For our emergency response to function satisfactorily, you as an individual must take an active role and keep yourself up-to-date on arrangements and what might happen near you. To make sure you’re ready to deal with various incidents, consider doing some relevant training, such as First Aid or CPR. In difficult situations and emergencies, it is important to consider your nearest and dearest, friends and neighbours and any support they might need.

My important telephone numbers Insurance company............................................................................................................................................ Direct numbers for nursery/school....................................................................................................... Work telephone 1................................................................................................................................................. Work telephone 2................................................................................................................................................. Family telephone numbers.......................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................ Other.............................................................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................................

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Important phone numbers Apoteket medicine information service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 771-45 04 50 Fire risk forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-20 38 00 BRIS (Children’s Rights in Society) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 61 11 Information on fire restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-20 38 00 Fault reporting for Region Gotland properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-26 99 60 Fault reporting for Region Gotland properties out of hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-20 90 40 Fault reporting for water and sewerage out of hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-20 90 30 Questions about the Region’s water supply and drainage/sewerage system (select options 3–1–3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-26 90 00 Poisons Information Centre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 8-33 12 31 Emotional support helpline, (open 9 pm to 6 am). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 8-702 16 80 On-call priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Helpline for women subjected to violence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 20-50 50 50 Mini-Maria (drugs/alcohol advice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-20 46 00 National helpline for psychological advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 20-22 00 60 Police, non-emergency number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 14 Red Cross helpline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 771-900 800 Medical advice service textphone, 1177. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 771-11 77 99 Social Services – daytime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-26 88 29 Social Services – other times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-26 91 45 Swedish Radio Traffic Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 20-99 94 44 Duty Chief Fire Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +46 (0) 498-26 98 78

Important websites Useful apps

Opening hours

www.polisen.se www.1177.se www.11313.se www.dinsakerhet.se www.krisinformation.se www.brandsakerthem.se www.sagagotland.se www.gotland.se/fallskador www.gotland.se/krisstöd www.pollenrapporten.se

Region Gotland switchboard +46 (0) 498-26 90 00

Region Gotland Visiting address 19 Visborgsallén Postal address 621 81 Visby Tel: +46 (0)498-26 90 00 Website www.gotland.se

Krisinformation Rädda hjärtat Röda korset första hjälpen Brandrisk ute

Reception and switchboard: Monday-Friday, 7.00 am-5.00 pm NB: Telephone numbers may change; if the number is unobtainable or you are redirected, contact the relevant organisation or check on their website.

Produced by: Upplev.org, 2015. Responsible publisher: Region Gotland/Christer Stoltz

SOS Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 National information number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 13 Medical advice service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1177