Important Emergency Numbers

Emergencies have a way of sapping our strength and rendering otherwise intelligent adults into hand-wringing, wailing lumps of hysterics. The surge of panic paralyzes rational thought, and suddenly you're at the mercy of prior preparation.

In a perfect world, the type of world we all believed we would inhabit when we were still childless parenting experts, there would never be a need for emergency phone numbers, frantic calls to poison control, emergency doctor visits, or white-faced ambulance rides where the little boy who loves sirens finds himself in the belly of the siren king.

Alas, such a world is not the one we inhabit. Thankfully, we have access to emergency services when those events occur.

Unless we don't. Take it from me; the time to get familiar with the emergency number is not when you can barely type for trembling. Now is the time to consider every important phone number you, your children, or a babysitter could possibly need when faced with an emergency situation. We've even done the heavy lifting for you. Simply locate your county or town/city, and you'll find a pre-planned list to get you started as you develop your own emergency plan.

Obviously, being prepared for an emergency goes far beyond a list of phone numbers. Think ahead. Talk to your children. Discuss safety measures with your babysitters. As you do, print and display this guide to embark on a prevention program we hope you'll never need.

Printable Emergency Contact Sheets