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Description

Remain cool and calm as you practise making a call to the emergency services.
Good to run in smaller groups, but can be run as a whole colony activity.

COVID safe:
Laminate the sheets and cards and wipe between uses.

Resources

15 minutes
Scissors
Bowls
Accident scenarios print out
Call handler questions print out

Instructions

Before you begin
- Print out the ‘Accident scenarios’ cards and the ‘Call handler questions’ sheet
- Cut up the ‘Accident scenarios’ cards and place in a bowl or box at one end of the hall. Make sure there are enough scenarios for each person to have one – it’s fine if there are duplicates.


Who to call, and when
1. The person leading the activity should gather everyone in a circle and ask if they know the right emergency number to contact either police, fire or ambulance. Check if anyone knows what the standard emergency numbers are around the world; 911 and 112 will direct you to the emergency services wherever you are.
2. Everyone in the circle should name a situation when they might have to call 999, such as a fire, a traffic accident, or if someone is injured or unconscious.
3. Going around the circle again, everyone should name a time they shouldn’t call 999. Remind everyone that 999 is for emergencies only. Usually an adult will make the call but it’s important that everyone knows what to do in case there are no adults around.


Play scenario superheroes
1. The person leading the activity should divide the group in half: one half are callers, and the other are call handlers.
2. The callers should pick an ‘Accident scenarios’ card from the bowl, while the call handlers should take a ‘Call handler questions’ sheet.
3. Everyone should mingle around the room.
4. The callers shout out ‘help help’ (to show they’re trying to get help before calling 999) and then mime dialing 999.
5. The call handlers should pair up with a caller and ‘answer’ their call by asking them about their emergency using the ‘Call handler questions’ sheet. Once help is on its way, the call handlers and callers can swap over and choose another scenario to work through.


Reflection
- This activity explored what to do in emergencies, so everyone’s prepared in case they witness or are involved in one. It’s important that everyone knows what to do even though it’s very rare to make an emergency call. How did they feel making the call? Was it helpful having someone calm and helpful to talk to? Call handlers use questions to help callers and always explain what needs to happen.
- Everyone should think about the differences between being a caller and handler. Did they feel more confident asking the questions? Did it get easier with time? Were there any questions they’d add to the script, or any detail they struggled to get from callers? The person leading the activity should make sure everyone knows that they can call 999 free of charge from any phone. And everyone should be aware that if they ever make a 999 call for real, they should talk to their friends and family about it afterwards, especially if it was challenging or traumatic.

Tags

• 999
• emergency aid
• help
• safety

Badge Links

• Emergency Aid - 999
• Emergency Aid - Help
• Local Superhero - Discover
• Safety - Emergency services