(Photo: www.redcross.org)

What if you had an accident and needed immediate medical attention, but the only person there was your five-year-old? Would they know what to do? Sure, knowing how to call 911 is helpful, but depending on your child’s age you can make sure that they are prepared to help in a variety of situations—it may just save your life.

In case of choking

Have your child take a class on how to properly perform the Heimlich maneuver. If a class isn’t available, The American Red Cross recommends the following steps:

—Send someone to call 9-1-1

—Lean person forward and give five back blows with heel of your hand.

—Give five quick abdominal thrusts by placing the thumbside of your fist against the middle of the victim's abdomen, just above the navel. Grab your fist with the other hand.

—Repeat until the object the person is choking on is forced out and person breathes or coughs on his or her own.

In case of bleeding

Seeing a lot of blood can be scary for a child but you can help them be prepared by exposing them to a less life-threatening situation involving blood, like a nosebleed. Show your child how to apply pressure to stop bleeding. Let them know that this technique can apply to most bleeding situations on other parts of the body, too.  

In case someone isn't breathing

It is always best to have your child take a CPR class in case of these types of emergencies. But if they need to spring into action and haven't taken a class, teach them some of the following methods recommended by the American Red Cross: Note: it is best to have the child trained by a professional because they can actually hurt someone if the procedures aren’t performed correctly.

—Open airway and give 2 rescue breaths

—Compress chest 30 times

—Give two rescue breaths

—Compress chest 30 times

—Continue cycles of two breaths and 30 compressions

For more information on what to do in case of any emergency visit FEMA Ready Kids.