Hi Jet,

Thanks for the feedback, glad it was appreciated.

You know how it goes with preparedness and safety stuff...very similar to the old adage about flying a plane.... hours of sheer boredom, punctuated by occasional moments of intense activity.

In our case, it has been many droning meetings (that have been getting more interesting), punctuated by the occasional bright light of knowledge, and sometimes by a few humorous moments and grins, which I tend to enjoy.

Speaking of which, while it was not a humorous event, it was deeply satisfying anyway…we enjoyed a special moment today...we were (finally) able to install our A.E.D.'s this morning. We've been working on getting these purchased, installed and obtaining training for over 18 months. This is one that local management was entirely behind, however we were forced to deal with red tape from our out of town head offices.

A couple of us are going to treat ourselves to lunch on Friday to celebrate.

Regards,
Comanche7

Solution :
I guess you can get a gold plated one ....... <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Alain

But then again, maybe it would have been. This poor guy was stuck in his bathtub for SIX DAYS.

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.j...d=20020903NY410

In this case a different approach would have been far better preparation. Around here there are two systems for it.
A group of people make contact via phone daily. If a member doesn´t call or doesn´t answer the partners assume an emergency and react.
For the other system you have a signal device that alerts a medical service when you trigger it. You have to confirm twice a day that you´re still ok (just pushing a buttton). If you forget you´ll be reminded by an annoying sound. If you fail to confirm, the service assumes an emergency and sends a responder.
Both systems require that you tell someone when you leave for a couple of days.
Both system were designed to help disabled or eldery people.

BTW: I don´t know any person who showers with a whistle around the neck.

Just because we don't know someone who is prepared doesn't mean that we shouldn't become prepared. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

My in-laws are both over 80 and very infirm. They wear wrist-band devices that, with the push of a button, will summon 911 response to thier home. I don't know if they take them into the shower but I would think that is one place that they might be expected to need them most. I don't know if they are waterproof. (I don't know if the writbands are waterproof - I am pretty sure the in-laws are waterproof <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> )

I think I'll be making extra sure to keep those phone batteries charged. Now I just have to teach the dog to fetch the phone<img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I don´t dispute the need of being prepared. But I think that in this particular situation other means might be better. If someone is in the same flat a whistle could be a little overkill. If nobody is in hearing range the whistle is inadequate. A cell phone in a waterproof pouch could do more (I have that pouch for my phone because on rare occasions I might take a bath in a beautifull river or lake while still fully dressed <img src="images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />).
I know a couple of these signal devices. So far I didn´t encounter one that was submergible. So maybe taking it into the shower will destroy it.

I agree. The ones I have seen in the past are definitely not waterproof. Though probably not practical, the best solution would seem to be an emergency pull cord of the type found in public restrooms.

Chris

A word of warning about waterproof cases for cell phones and other electronics...

I once bouhgt a "fone-dom" (yes, a latex mobile phone cover resembling a scented condom!!!) with the idea of protecting the phone from dust/duirt and increasing it's water resistance. It seems that some moisture got between the phone and the fone-dom (note: it was minimal enough that I didn't notice it). Due to the high temperatures, this moisture 'evaporated', and went into the electronics of the phone, causing a mild corosion. this, obviuosly, is not good for the phone, so I disacrded the fone-dom.

I havn't used other waterproof bags/boxs, but just keep this in mind when using them. I havn't hearrd of this happenng to anyone else, so it may have just been my bad luck.

I use a Coghlan´s pouch. I only put the phone into the pouch, when I think it is neccessary (e. g. a fishing trip). When the phone stays in the pouch for a longer time, I throw in a small desiccant bag. Any waterproof bag or box is prone to have problems with condensing vapour when the temperature drops.