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“Leave A Child With Any Male”: 65 Things Emergency Workers Swear They’ll Never Do, Based On Experience
Life is short, and we never really know how or when our own will end. There are certain things that are obviously dangerous, or even fatal, like playing with a loaded gun, crossing the street without checking first, or running on slippery, wet tiles. But there are others that some of us do without giving it much of a second thought…
Many doctors, firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency personnel have seen it all. And often, they wish they could have forewarned their patients of how they should or shouldn't have behaved if they didn’t want to end up in the ER, or worse yet, six feet under.
Someone asked the men and women tasked with saving lives, “What’s ONE thing you refuse to do or buy because of the [stuff] you’ve seen?” and many of the answers are worthy of a place on your fridge door, so that you can be reminded every single morning. From never putting your feet on the dashboard to never leaving your children with men, Bored Panda has put together the best responses. If you find yourself doing any of the things on this list, now might be a good time to reconsider.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Family doc: I will never not vaccinate my kids or myself. I will never own a trampoline, never allow my kids to use a motorcycle or atv or dirt bike, probably not an ebike/e-scooter either. Won’t allow my kids to play football. Never go without a helmet or a seatbelt. Will never skip a cancer screen. And never forego mental health care.
While many of the things listed here are definitely scary, dangerous, and even fatal, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are actually the leading culprits when it comes to lives getting cut short. These include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says collectively, NCDs are responsible for 74% of all fatalities worldwide.
According to a fact sheet published by the global health body, cardiovascular diseases claimed at least 19 million lives in 2021, followed by cancers (10 million), chronic respiratory diseases (4 million), and diabetes (over 2 million, including kidney disease deaths caused by diabetes).
If you don't want to fall victim to an NCD - or at least want to lessen your chances - WHO advises you to avoid tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets, and air pollution. "Detection, screening and treatment of NCDs, as well as palliative care, are key components of the response to NCDs," adds WHO.
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#2
“Get your feet off the dash.”
“It’s fi-“
“Get them off the dash.”
#3
When I was an EMT...I never had to unbuckle a corpse.
Always wear seatbelts, use car seats for small children, and keep your feet off the dash!
Upstaged75 1 hour ago
I will never understand people who drive without their seatbelt. Why would you want to take a chance like that??
While they're usually associated with older age groups, NCDs can affect people of all ages and regions.
"Children, adults and the elderly are all vulnerable to the risk factors contributing to NCDs, whether from unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, exposure to tobacco smoke, or the harmful use of alcohol or air pollution," warns WHO, adding that unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity may show up in people as raised blood pressure, increased blood glucose, elevated blood lipids and obesity.
#4
I refuse to call body parts by cute or inaccurate names. I've seen SA cases be pushed aside or horribly delayed because a child genuinely thought that her [private] area was called a "cookie."
#5
Pulmonary nurse here - smoke or vape ANYTHING. End stage COPD or end stage lung cancer is heartbreaking to see.
That’s all I yam 35 minutes ago
The lungs are filled with surfaces that are optimized for oxygen/carbon dioxide exchanges. Why would anyone think it would be a good idea to affect this system!
#6
Mounjaro/Ozempic. I've seen so many debilitating, life-altering severe acute pancreatitis secondary to weight loss medications.
Meanwhile, a recent report released by the United Nations has revealed that most of the 4.9 million children who passed away in 2024 could have been saved. Almost half of the total number of children under five were newborns, and many were from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
"The most common causes were premature birth, pneumonia, and trauma suffered by the child during birth," reported the Guardian, adding that infectious diseases were also a major cause, with malaria leading to 17% of fatalities of children who survived beyond their first month of life.
#7
I’m not a medical professional or a first responder, but I AM a millennial so I will never drive behind a log truck.
Upstaged75 54 minutes ago
Anyone who's seen that movie will change lanes any time they see a logging truck. Doesn't matter which generation you are! 😂
#8
Trauma surgeon here, just a few… 1. Ride a motorcycle, ATV, E-bike or electric scooter 2. Hang my arm out of the car window, while driving 3. Put feet on dashboard, while someone is driving 4. Own a gun (I’ll go shooting at a shooting range in a controlled and safe environment), but no guns in my home. 5. No trampolines 6. Set off fireworks while drinking 7. Jump off a large rock, cliff or bridge into a body of water.
#9
Jump into unknown water reservoir. A lot of stories when men jump and break their spines/get tbi.
Sadly, the UN also revealed that 100,000 succumbed directly from severe acute malnutrition, with the highest numbers in Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan. It added that severe malnutrition was also an underlying cause for many children who passed away from other conditions.
“We are not moving far enough or fast enough and leaving 5 million [children] under the age of five vulnerable,” warns Abdurahman Sharif, senior humanitarian affairs director at Save the Children. Sharif says that aid cuts are leading to increasing preventable child fatalities at a time when needs are increasing. "It’s reversing decades of progress,” he cautioned.
#10
Oncology and hospice RN. Skip colonoscopies or mammograms.
Upstaged75 1 hour ago
That reminds me I have a Cologuard box sitting in my office! 😁 I forgot to do it last time and it expired. My doctor was not impressed.
#11
Not wear safety goggles when working with metal, wood or literally anything else that could blind you if it got into your eyeball. Drinking and driving and drinking and lighting [stuff] on fire.
Rachel Reynolds 1 hour ago
My shop has a pair of goggles with a chunk of grinding wheel stuck in it displayed under the OSHA poster. PPE for life.
#12
Don’t do anything around horses or lawnmowers while wearing flip flops.
Over in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveals that more Americans pass away from injuries and violence than from any other cause, including cancer, HIV, or the flu. "This makes injury the leading cause of death among persons aged 1-44," notes the CDC website, warning that injuries and violence affect everyone, regardless of age, race, or economic status.
Unintentional injuries include things like overdoses, unintentional poisoning, motor vehicle crashes, and accidental falls. The CDC also reveals that taking one's own life deliberately is now the 2nd leading cause of fatalities for the 1-44 age group in America, and numbers are continuing to rise.
#13
1. Sleeping in the same bed as baby 2. Ebikes 3. Allow someone I love to live alone when they are no longer able to take proper care of themselves. The last one might be controversial but I've made it clear to my parents that if they eventually need to be put in a home they will be put in a home. I've seen too many elderly people pass because they fell and couldn't get help.
#14
Briefly trained as a 911 operator in 2016 in PNW. I would never go hiking alone, even if I had my cell phone.
#15
Let people move in your home. Even if only very temporary. Don't do it.
Back to the list, and a few emergency workers warned against putting your feet on the dashboard in a car. Here's why, according to Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers:
"Airbags deploy between 100 and 220 miles per hour. If you ride with your feet on the dash and you are involved in an accident, the airbag could send your knees through your face, breaking more than your nose."
What to do instead: "Always wear a seatbelt, keep feet on the floor, and sit properly to maximize airbag safety," advise the experts.
#16
Smoking nicotine ANYTHING. It always catches up.
That’s all I yam 20 minutes ago
Why mess with lung membranes! Not to mention other side effects.
#17
Suddenly stop taking my psych meds.
#18
Tanning beds.
Upstaged75 1 hour ago
I can't believe anyone still uses them in this day and age. A lot of the salons are now offering spray tans instead, which is SO much healthier.
#19
Drink heavily, not wear SPF 50 sunscreen, buy cheap sunglasses.
#20
Several things, but the big one is ride a motorcycle.
Yayheterogeneity 1 hour ago
THIS is something I will always fight against, should my children want to do it.
#21
I’ll never let anyone kiss my newborn baby.
Shelli Aderman 2 hours ago
Or touch their hands! When people would go in to innocently grab our kids’ hands when they were babies, we’d redirect them to their feet in socks… and this was even before Covid! 😉
#22
Always always always wait at least 3-4 seconds before going when a light turns green. Take a pause and check both ways before you move.
Chrystina Sumpter 1 hour ago
I watched as the car in front of me took off as soon as the light turned green and was T-boned by a speeding car. Thankfully no one was k****d.
#23
Get a chiropractic neck adjustment. I have seen more than one person have a stroke afterwards.
#24
Stand directly on the corner of an intersection. I stand behind a pole or something.
#25
Will never ever ever: Have a "wild pregnancy" or a "free birth". Bed share with my baby. Leave furniture unsecured from the wall.
Becca not Becky 2 hours ago (edited)
I understand a home birth (though I highly discourage it) but no prenatal care? Why? That is so risky for mom and baby
#26
Former med tech, now in lab QA; if I ever receive a diagnosis I don't agree with, I'll definitely request a recollect/retest. You'd be shocked how many samples are mislabeled, leading to patients receiving the wrong results.
#27
Never burn poison ivy in a fire pit. Just trash it. You would not believe what smoke from a campfire with poison ivy in can do to your lungs!!
YakFactory 2 hours ago
Oleander is also incredibly poisonous, so I wouldn't want to burn it either.
#28
I try to avoid sugar. As a nurse I started to feel diabetes is epidemic in this country. I would have 7 patients and 5 would have diabetes. It causes so much harm.
Julie Rogers 1 hour ago
Sugar doesn't cause diabetes. Someone pointed this out to OP and she said her diabetic patients were hiding sugary treats ... Which is still not saying sugar caused it.
#29
Have a home birth.
Upstaged75 1 hour ago
I've been watching Call the Midwife lately. Strange to think that was once the norm!
#30
Veterinarian here. Will never use retractable leashes. Seen too many broken jaws, skull fractures and other head traumas.
Upstaged75 1 hour ago
And it's always the people who have no idea how to walk a dog that use them! 🤷♀️ Funny story: my mom used to have a cat she took out for walks. The cat wore a harness/jacket and mom used a retractable leash. She used it up until the day she accidentally dropped it and scared the heck out of the kitty. The leash started to retract, and the cat thought she was being chased by something terrifying. She continued to run while being "pursued" by the leash until she finally crammed herself underneath the gazebo. My parents had to almost take the gazebo completely apart in order to get to the poor cat. 😁 That was the last time my mom used a retractable leash for walking the cat.
#31
Ride anything with wheels without a helmet.
#32
Grill brush. I’ve seen one of those bristles perforate intestines.
Upstaged75 1 hour ago
Metal grill brush is what they're referring to. It can get stuck in throats too.
#33
A lawyer chimes in: 🔹 DO NOT put zinc up your nose. 🔹 DO NOT drink energy drinks. 🔹 Avoid IV Phenergan if you can. 🔹 NO motorcycles or ATVs. 🔹 NEVER climb onto frat house balconies or roofs. 🔹 DO NOT waterski in crowded waters. Things to DO: 🔹 Keep emergency escape tool (with seatbelt cutter and glass breaker) in car and trunk. 🔹 Take survival kit to clubs/bars: drink covers, drink testing strips, grim survival key card, phone charger.
Upstaged75 1 hour ago (edited)
Why would I put zinc up my nose? ETA: I looked it up and yikes! I've use the Zicam nasal spray before. (Although they have since changed the formula)😫 Apparently it can cause you to lose your sense of smell. Good to know. I still have an excellent sense of smell thankfully.
#34
Heard this from a cop- never, ever drive with your dog in the drivers seat with you. You do not want to see what happens to either of you when the airbag goes off.
Chrystina Sumpter 1 hour ago
My dogs ride buckled in the back seat. I was actually in a crash—low speed but the car was totaled. My dogs were upset but unhurt. I sustained only minor injuries, because I too was buckled in.
#35
Leave kids in the car alone even if it’s just to hop in and out really quick. So much can happen in just a few seconds.
#36
Not a nurse but my boyfriend is- here’s things he’s told me not to do. Put my feet on the dash. Drive with a claw clip in my hair. Drink from a straw while driving. Take a shower after taking a drowsy med or drinking. Go out in the cold after drinking.
#37
I’m shocked that more people haven’t mentioned button batteries (the size of a coin). “When a button battery mixes with saliva or moist skin tissue in general, it triggers an alkaline (chemical) reaction that can burn the child in as little as one to two hours. Once this reaction starts, it literally liquefies and dissolves/burns the skin” (Johns Hopkins). Now imagine that inside a child’s stomach.
Upstaged75 1 hour ago
There have been children who have passed away from swallowing these. It can burn a hole in your esophagus.
#38
Fireworks. Especially mortar shell fireworks. A slightly below military grade propellant added to again a slightly below military grade explosion will absolutely destroy an eye/cheekbone/nose. All relying on the cheapest and smallest plastic base that can be fit to the shell tower.
#40
Cows are also dangerous. I’ve seen cows do more and worse damage than horses. Especially during calving season.
#42
Generic herbal powders off Amazon. As a herbalist, I have seen too many heavy metal panels come back wild from cheap ashwagandha, turmeric, and moringa. The label says calm. The blood says lead. If a brand will not show third party testing, it is not going in my body.
#43
Leave kids unsupervised around mothers' boyfriends. And a lot of other men too, but especially them.
hannahlunarrose:
Leave a child with any male. Even a sibling. I don't have kids yet but my god I'd be careful leaving a child, especially a girl, with any other male. Signed a peads nurse.
Yayheterogeneity 2 hours ago
Although this reflects reality it makes me sick to my stomach and incredibly sad.
#44
I’m not any of those professions, but I’ve worked in a radiology clinic attached to an emergency department. NEVER EVER EVER wear a claw clip in your hair while in a car.
#45
My ex husband was a paramedic/firefighter and he was adamant about no reverse mirrors so you can see the baby, no sun shades, and basically no anything that can become projectile in the back seat. But the mirrors were always a 'hell no' because of more than one bad call.
#46
Stainless steel straws.
Upstaged75 59 minutes ago
Just don't use one while walking around. If you fall it's likely to impale you.
#47
Not one of the above but am a nursing student, however this has been seen by many: in Australia you do not ever swerve to avoid hitting an animal, especially if you are towing a caravan!!! More people flip their cars and caravans by doing so and are lucky if they escape a trip to the hospital or worse.
#49
Never putting on mascara in a stopped car. Did you know when someone rear ends you the wand can embed itself into your tear duct all of the way to the base of the wand if you’re lucky it doesn’t go in your eye? Then the snot runs out black.
#50
Burn tech here. I'm wary of using anything with propane tank. Seen too many incidents from patients because it was not set up right.
#51
I worked in Long term care & Assisted Living. Please get checked for dementia and alzheimer's early! Encourage your parents as well to get cognition test!
#55
I scream like a banshee every time my son removes his head rest from the car, DO YOU WANT A SPINAL CORD INJURY?!?!
#58
I refuse to sleep with my bedroom door open. A closed bedroom door can mean surviving a fire that completely guts the rest of the house
Mary Kelly 49 minutes ago
i've heard this too...but, i have kids and pets...and also a smoke detector in the hallway
#59
Own a glass coffee. DIG HOLES IN THE SAND. Light and throw a firework.
#60
My paramedic friend freaks out that I go horse riding.
Upstaged75 56 minutes ago
I've been riding my whole life. Wear a helmet and don't do stupid stuff.🤷♀️ It's more dangerous to drive on the highway or walk down a steep flight of stairs. Or if you're me, it's more dangerous to walk while trying to put your keys in your purse at the same time. 😂 I wiped out in a parking lot and tore up my knee.
#62
Orbeez.
Upstaged75 56 minutes ago
These are only dangerous to babies and toddlers who would eat them. They're water beads and expand to become quite big.
#65
Nerf gun. (Ophthalmology.)
What do you think ?
Rachel Reynolds 1 hour ago
As a mechanic: Make sure your tire tread is is good put a penny in the tread, head side down, Lincoln should not be visible.). Change your breaks regularly. Don't drive through deep puddles. Don't ignore the check engine light. If your seat belt doesn't retract, get that fixed ASAP.
DB 1 hour ago
Don't let the kids at AutoZone scan your check engine light. The list they give you is usually wrong. Get it checked by a professional.
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Rachel Reynolds 1 hour ago
As a mechanic: Make sure your tire tread is is good put a penny in the tread, head side down, Lincoln should not be visible.). Change your breaks regularly. Don't drive through deep puddles. Don't ignore the check engine light. If your seat belt doesn't retract, get that fixed ASAP.
DB 1 hour ago
Don't let the kids at AutoZone scan your check engine light. The list they give you is usually wrong. Get it checked by a professional.
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