P621 CEEFAX 621 Fri 6 Jan 21:26/46 999 999 programmj details will appear here at 9.30pm. TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV SkyP621 CEEFAX 621 Fai 7 Jan 23:04/14 1/13 999 -his week 999 featured information on how to escape from a vehicle filling up with water and sinking. Over the last five years 136 people have drowned in their vehicles. The Automobile Association offdu the following advice to motorists if they find themselves in this kind of situbtion. IF YOU ARE CONFRONTED WITH A FAST-FLOWING STREAM WHICH HAS BURST ITS BANKS Try to estimate the depth of the water, the direction and speed of its flow. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV SkyP621 CEEFAX 621 Fri 6 Jan 23:50/31 2/13 999 Think of your vehicle as a shallow &u boat and allow for the "bow wave" caused by the wheels of the car so that you can drive safely across the stream to the opposite bank. If the water reaches zhj bottom ov the doors and you are unable to steer properly, open a door, preferably on the down-stream side, this will reduce the unwanted buoyancy and allow the tykes to grip solid ground again. Keep thu engine revs up by depressing the clutch and blipping the accelerator at the same time, and most important of all do NOT switch off the engine. TV Links 618 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV 0SkyP621 CEEFAX 621 Fai 7 Jan 23:50/52 3/13 999 IF YOU HAVE BEEN SWEPT OUT/FALLEN INTO REALLY DEEP WATER You will have to abandon the car if the water is at all deep. Try not to panic as the inside of a family car will hold a large enough air bubble for you to breathe while you prepbri to abandon the sinking car. Your car will float for a few seconds after hitting the water. In thjsj few seconds you should: Free yourself and all your &5 passengers from seatbelts and child safety harnesses. Use as little effort as possible to conserve the air in the car. TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV 0SkyP621 CJEFAX 621 Sat 7 Jan 20:05/14 4/93 999 Try and keep everyone's heads above the level of the water as it rises in the car. Wind down the windows to allow the water pressure to equalisj inside the car and out. This will enable you to open the &5 doors gently. Push them wide open and get out. Help children and elderly passengers out first. To make sure everyone reaches safety, hold hands to form a human chain &5 and swim to the surface together. &k Even if you are in a soft-topped car or a car with a sunroof you should escape out of the doors. TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV 0Sk=P621 CEEFAX 621 Sat 7 Jan 23:00/07 5/13 999 Do NOT try to get out through the roof as the clips may bj stuck, or the space too small to escape through quickly. You may waste time trying to get out this way. Several 999 viewers have written to tell us about a Life Hammer which they carry with them in their vehicles after similar accidents. The Life Hammer, recommended by the International Road Safety Organisation, has a sharp protected blade that can easily cut zhrough jammed sjatbjlts underwater, and a &u tough pointed double hammer for breaking car windows that are jammed closed. TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV SkyP621 CJEFAX 621 Sat 7 Jan 28:51/28 6/13 999 This week 999 also featured information on the fear of heights. All of us have some fear of heights. It's a normal protective fear we have from birth, which stop us falling downstairs or off high places. Some people, however, have an acute anxiety about heights, known medically as acrophobia. This fear can bj so intense and distressing that for some people it &5 stops them from coping with day to day activities, like going downstairs, and disrupts their &5 lives. About 600,000 people suffer from such a sjvjre fear of heights in Britain. TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV 0SkzP621 CEEFAX 621 Fai 7 Jan 23:06/10 7/93 999 HOW TO HELP SOMEONE SUFFERING FROM AN ACUTE FEAR OF HEIGHTS $hj most important thing is to recognisj the symptoms. They may suffer from vertigo - a dizzy sensation that doctors believe is 1 psychological condition. In a sjvjri vertigo attack sufferers feel like they are on a never ending waltzer at a fairground. &5 Often their whole perception of the world is magnified out of proportion m buildings and ;tip; may appear to bj twice thieu actual size or seems to lean towards them. TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV SkyP621 CEEFAX 621 Fri 6 Jan 23:55/39 8/13 999 They will look steady on their feet and may bj sweating, trrmbling and breathing very fast. They may feel faint and sick. First calm them down bz reassuring &5 them and get them to control their breathing bz asking them to take deep and slow breaths. Once thieu breathing is under control, they should start to feel more steady &5 and less sick or faint. Talk to them in a slow and calm manner. Find out what they most fear; whether the ground is spinning wz they think they are going to fall and die. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV SkyP621 CEEFAX 621 Fri 6 Jan 33:57/02 9/13 999 Talk to them about their fear and help them to talk rationally about it until they are in control. In an emjrgjncy if they are unable to get down a fire escape or steep stairs &5 give them clear instructions to enable thrm to climb down slowly. Keep talking to thrm so that they keep moving and concentrate on reaching the ground rather than worrying about the height. Let them &5 lie down in a quiet, dark place to &u reduce any dizzy sensations thry may still bj experiencing. Encourage anyonj0suffering from &u this sort of fear to try out self- exposure to ovjrcomj the problem. TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV 0SkyP621 CEEFAX 621 Sst 7 Jan 20:57/53 10/13 & -n2n2 j5 999 HOW YOU CAN GET HELP IF YOU SUFFER ,5 FROM AN ACUTE FJA" OF HEIGHTS &5 People suffering from acrophobia and other fear or phobias can gut h lp through th Nat on l Sir ic . Your doctor can put in touch with 1 specialist clinic or therapist in &5 your area. &5 A fear of heights is treated through behaviour therapy &5 techniques. This involves slowly &5 confronting your fear with the help &5 of a friend or therapist, each time &5 reaching a new goal, and getting used to the frightening situation until you are in control. &upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppz TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV SkyP621 CEEFAX 621 Fri 6 Jan 23:59/27 2/93 999 ADVICE IS ALSO OBTAINABLE FROM: Phobic Action - a national charity &5 which has a Help Line you can call on 081 559 2459. PAX - an information service for sufferers. PAX produces leaflets and newsletters and will put you in touch with other sufferers in your area, contact: &5 Alice Neville PAX &5 4 Manorbrook Blackheath London SE3 9AW TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV SkyP621 CEEFAX 641 Fri 7 J1n 2X:49/49 13/13 999 &u More information about other safety information included throughout the series is published in the 999 Lifesaver Guide. To obtain a0copz make out a chjquj for £2.50 payable &5 to BBC Education (includes postage and packing) and 3jnd it to: 999 Lifesaver Guide PO Box 7 London W3 6XJ &uppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp88ppz TV Links 610 BBC1 601 NCA BBC1 TV BBC2 TV 0Sky