Deadly Oversights: 48 Critical Errors First Responders Urge EMTs and Civilians to Avoid
Ever considered the entertainment value, or rather the lack thereof, in panicking during an emergency? Picture this: you’ve managed to save your last bottle of water, only to find yourself watching it with the same desperation as a single mother watches the fridge light go off thinking she’s left the door ajar. Now, while it’s great to ration food, “The best place to store water is inside your body,” says Reddit user Zapinsure, who isn’t here to coddle ego but to dish out safety wisdom. Instead of sipping the precious liquid, clutch that baby and learn to trust your instincts. After all, that “yucky feeling” in your stomach might just be your gut speaking up when your brain is too busy freaking out over what to do in a crisis. Call your friends or family, tell them where you are, where you’re going, but for Pete’s sake, don’t leave them guessing or you might be the talk of the next grim episode of “Was he ever found?”
This isn’t just about your survival, it’s about not inconveniencing first responders when they’ve already got their hands full with real heroes and actual emergencies. Speaking of which, here’s a thought-provoking query: Why do people think they can pull off superhero moves just because they saw it in a movie?
Zapinsure, a Divemaster since 2023, knows better than to underestimate the unpredictability of life. They learned from their own experiences—like the time a panicked diver latched onto them in a desperate underwater embrace—professionals have their tricks, like descending deeper into the water, making their escape possible.
So, what do you do when every survival myth you’ve learned from blockbusters is not only useless but potentially deadly? You learn the real deal. LEARN MORE from Zapinsure and other experts sharing their insights, and maybe next time, you’ll be the one impressing with safety know-how instead of jeopardizing yourself and others. Keep that water inside you and leave the heroics to the trained professionals. Remember, it’s not about the applause from an audience, it’s about the audience not learning of another statistic through the evening news.
“The abundance of wrong or bad advice currently circulating on the internet and in cinema,” the author noted. “I’ve heard tidbits of survival myths being debunked by first responders, firefighters, policemen, etc., and I wanted more insight on what NOT to do in a nasty situation. And I knew the answers would be thought-provoking.”
“The best place to store water is inside your body,” the author continued. “If you’ve seen 127 hours, it’s based on a true story. A man gets trapped under a rock for several days and forces himself to ration his water. This likely didn’t help his chances of survival. If you’re down to your last bottle, and you’re parched as a beached whale, then drink it all. This will stave off the effects of dehydration and help you to better devise a plan. Rationing is for food, not water.”
Call 911 as soon as you think there’s an emergency. It’s better to have us rolling out and it turn out to be nothing…than have you waffling on whether or not to call. We don’t get mad/care/complain when people call 911 in good faith…even if it turns out you were mistaken. It’s what we’re here for.
Not wearing a helmet. On a bike? Wear your helmet. On a scooter? Wear a helmet! Motorcycle? You guessed it, helmet. Got a passenger? Insist they wear one too.
During my time as an EMT, I responded to too many incidents with victims who might have been able to walk away from the scene with only minor injuries *if* they had worn adequate head protection (and worn it correctly).
And as long as I’ve got you here reading this, please also *wear a seatbelt every single time you’re in a moving vehicle* .
Long hair always pulled up and wrapped tight, especially in children. I worked in an ER and was surprised by how many injuries were from hair getting caught in a motor, belt, pool, etc. ALWAYS at carnivals/fairs, biking, any outdoor event have hair up and wrapped. Saw some terrible injuries.
