Parents urged to make sure children know how to handle outdoor emergency
Concerns have been raised after new research into children's preparedness for emergencies
A pilot with the Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance charity is encouraging parents to help their children learn skills to handle an emergency ahead of the summer holidays.
It comes after new research by tech company what3words found a gap between children's confidence and preparedness to deal with an outdoor emergency, with fewer than 80% of parents confident their child would know what to do, while only 51% have practiced what to do if something goes wrong.
Simon Gough MBE said the research has raised concerns, adding that the skills could be key to saving a life.
"I would highly recommend parents, guardians sit down with their children and rehearse. Nothing stressful, nothing too serious. Make it nice and light-hearted. But learn how to dial 999. Learn how to explain examples of what could happen or what has happened. And then learn how to give the location," he said.
He added that the what3words app, which is free to use, can help ensure giving a location is simple and effective for people, no matter their age.
"When you open the app, it gives you a 3 by 3 to a location, which is really important, especially as in the summer, people won't necessarily be at an address they know. They may be on a holiday park, staying in a woods, walking in the hills. So those 3 words can give your exact location anywhere," he told us.
85% of the UK's emergency services use the app and can direct crews to that location.
He added that it's important that youngsters know which service to ask for, although the call handlers can help the children through that situation.