Life & Safety with Jimmy Rios

We Played Would You Rather... It Got Weird.

• Life Safety Associates, Inc. • Episode 55

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This episode, we’re flipping the script with a rapid-fire game of “Would You Rather?”—Life & Safety style. Jimmy’s in the hot seat as Megan throws out 10 surprisingly tough scenarios with a safety twist. Would he rather perform CPR on a stranger in a crowd *or* on a loved one all alone? Get lost in the forest with just a flashlight *or* brave a city-wide blackout with nothing but a water bottle? Survive 24 hours in the desert with only a first aid kit *or* freeze it out in the Arctic with only a fire starter?

From wildfires vs. earthquakes to Heimlich vs. delivering a baby, this episode is full of unexpected laughs, wild opinions, and surprisingly useful survival tips. Jimmy leans on his firefighter roots to explain how he’d manage each situation, while Megan adds the comments we’re all thinking but don’t say out loud.

There’s a lot to unpack... like how heat and cold affect your chances of survival, why people can be more dangerous than nature, and what item you should definitely grab if you’re running out of a burning house (nope, it’s not your phone).

Come for the hypotheticals, stay for the unexpected, and leave with some practical takeaways that might just help you make the right call when it counts. 

And don’t forget to send us your own “Would You Rather?” questions... we’re already planning round two!

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Life Safety Associates specializes in emergency response training for corporate ERT Teams. We help businesses create competent and confident first responders who are ready to handle unexpected emergencies. For more information you find us @lifesafetyassoc or email@lifesafety.com.

Jimmy:

What's happening? It's Jimmy with your girl Megs, Hello, Doing another life and safety podcast. So today we're going to do a little something different, you know, just kind of a little lighter thing and just kind of bring you a little just fun and get to know us a little bit better. I guess we're going to. Megan came up with 10 questions that I have not heard yet. Would you rather right?

Megan :

Mm-hmm.

Jimmy:

And you said 10 questions, yes, all right. So here we go.

Megan :

Would you rather have to perform CPR on a stranger in a crowded place, or on a loved one with no one around to help?

Jimmy:

Oh, that's a good one. I'm going to go with stranger in a crowded place because then that way I could switch out and coach and give that person a better outcome. I think with a loved one by myself, I think it would be really hard and in knowing myself, there's not a lot of quit in me and I think that I would, uh, probably hurt myself going too hard. Yeah.

Megan :

Yes. Um, that's a good question, though when did that question come from, like chat GPT Nice, All of these questions, I'm going to be honest with you are ChatGPT, All right?

Jimmy:

yeah, that was just a really good deep, hard question, Right.

Megan :

I was surprised at the quality of these questions.

Jimmy:

Yeah, that's a good one, though, yeah, yeah, and I should say, as far as loved one goes, it also depends on which loved one it was too and what the other circumstances, it also depends on what your loved one was too, and what their other circumstances. But yeah, I think that's a really good question. I'm still sticking with the stranger in a crowded place.

Megan :

I agree, I don't ever want to have to do CPR on somebody that I know because I think I would get in my head about it, and I also would always rather to do it in a crowded place with people around, because you can delegate. I don't have to be in charge of calling 911 and getting the AED and doing the compressions and all of the things. I can say hey, you go get 911. You go get the AED. Or if I'm tired I can switch out because compressions are tiring.

Jimmy:

They are tiring. It's hard work, for sure. That's a good one All right Next question you ready. Yeah.

Megan :

Would you rather always carry a fully stocked first aid kit but never need it Like I'm talking a massive one that takes up a bunch of space and is heavy and is bulky and annoying, or need one badly?

Jimmy:

but only have the basics like a Band-Aid and two squares of gauze. That's interesting. Another really good question, but if you've taken my class, you've probably heard me say I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Jimmy:

Yeah have it and not need it, then need it and not have it, yeah Right. So, and I'm kind of laughing on the inside because, megan, you've seen how little my car is, what your car is, and you've seen my bags. I have my get-home bag, which we've talked about, and I have my medical fanny pack in the car that has pretty much everything you know um that I could use in, you know, disasters or traffic accidents, or trauma really is the easiest way to say it. It's a really good trauma bag. Um, that's a good question, but yeah, I think I'd rather have carry everything and not need it.

Megan :

Then you did not have it for sure? Yeah, what about you? I agree, I'm definitely over over prepare, over pack type of person. Yeah, and also, anytime where I don't need to use a first aid kit is a good time.

Jimmy:

Right. Yeah, I don't. I mean I never anticipate needing things, but I like to bring it. Yeah, I don't. I mean I never anticipate needing things, but I like to bring it. When we were, the kids were little and we'd go camping. So we camp with four other families once a year and just because some of the families have moved away, but we still kind of meet up.

Jimmy:

And one of the families their mom, was an EMT and their dad was a ski patroller, so they would always bring a bag. I would bring a bag, and then just some of their moms would always bring first aid bags. So we always had tons and tons of first aid stuff for little kids camping and it was great because we never really needed anything or wanted for anything, so to speak, if we had a scrape or an ouchie or something like that. We always had everything.

Megan :

I also feel like there's that rule of the universe, so to speak, of if you think about oh, do I need this turning kit? No, no way I'll need it, and then something happens and you need it. You're like oh, I thought about packing this and then I purposely chose not to, and then, of course, now I need it. So whenever I have the thought of like, should I bring this? Nah, I won't need it, I think maybe I should pack it just to like make sure that I don't need it.

Jimmy:

Yeah, I am an overpacker, for sure. You know, if Jenny was on with us, she would definitely agree to that. And yeah, that's a good one. That's another one, all right.

Megan :

What's the next question? Would you rather get lost in the wilderness with only a flashlight and a whistle, or in a city blackout with only a first aid kit and a water bottle?

Jimmy:

Another great one and I, I I know I could survive in the wilderness with a flashlight and a and a whistle. I think I'd have a harder time in the city. You know, lions and tigers and bears, oh my, I can deal with. It's the bad things that people do that would be hard to deal with in the city environment, so I also have to to deal with in the city environment, so I also have to have. So you did say I'd be by myself. Right, I would be with my family. So I had to quantify that question a little bit Doesn't say Does it change your answer?

Jimmy:

It would be easier for me to manage to take care of, not manage Manage isn't the horrible word to use but to take care of, not manage, manage isn't the horrible word to use to take care of, um, and to survive with my family out in the forest, because we do camp and hike and do those things and I think we would work better in the forest. Um, I think in the city it would just be too many, very too much variables with people. Fair, that would be good, hard yeah, so I'm going with the wilderness.

Megan :

Fair, I think. Well, I totally agree and understand with your thought process there. Personally, for me, I think I'd rather be in the city, just because, as much as I love a good camping trip, I'm not great at it, like, I don't do it as often as I would like and with only a flashlight and a whistle. That scares me. I'm not, I'm not a hunter gatherer. I don't know what plants are safe to eat. I'm scared of killing an animal to eat, I don't know.

Megan :

In a city, that's the situation that I'm more used to, and so, if it were to be an emergency, I would rather not have to deal with a more new location versus one that I'm very familiar with Because I grew up in a city, lived here my whole life. I'm very, very urban, so to speak with because I grew up in a city, lived here my whole life. I'm very, very urban, so to speak. Sure, um and so, and yes, I, I agree that in the city I have to deal with people and people making stupid decisions, and oh, you know they're gonna make bad decisions in the blackout that are gonna you know, annoy me and be like really, why would you do that?

Megan :

like there was no need, um and so, but I would rather not have to have a new environment Well, not new, but a more unknown environment. So I would, I would stick with the city, even though I don't like people.

Jimmy:

Interesting. I think it's interesting that you said that unknown environment right, because theoretically in a city it would become unknown constantly. All the variables would change, whereas if you were alone in the forest, the only thing that's going to change is the weather Right, so it's a little bit more manageable.

Jimmy:

Now it would be harder to probably find water and food, and you know substance, things like that. But also you know, to quantify that question more if I'm stuck in the forest, do people know I'm out there? Do people know my family and I are out there? Is help coming, potentially coming?

Megan :

Yeah exactly, and how long?

Jimmy:

Right, and you know Too many variables we can use. You know we can use the whistle to signal for help. We can use the flashlight to signal for help. We can use the flashlight to signal for help at night or even during the day. We can use a reflective mirror or reflective surface like off the water and flash code off of it.

Megan :

Or just flash water, or light off of it.

Jimmy:

You know there's lots of things we can do that can improve our situation, whereas in my mind, in the city the city, too many variables, too much movement. Fair right, so that's a good question, though that's you got me thinking on that one.

Megan :

That's a good one would you rather have to use the heimlich maneuver on somebody at a fancy restaurant or deliver a baby in an elevator?

Jimmy:

oh, that's a good one, that's a no-brainer for me and that's a Heimlich maneuver in a fancy restaurant.

Megan :

Yeah.

Jimmy:

Fun fact your boy does not like childbirth. Childbirth snakes and clowns Really Get away from me. Fascinating, yeah yeah. I literally almost jumped out of a window in jameson's preschool because one of the parents showed up at the hollowing thing in a clown suit and they kept getting near me and I kept like walking away and they kept trying to approach me and I got kind of stuck in a corner and the only way I was like a a window and I was telling JD like literally like if that guy comes near me I'm either jumping out the window or punching him as hard as I can in the face. This is freaking me out. Hopefully neither. And then the person ended up walking away. But like, just, I was definitely felt trapped by like a rat in the corner. So I draft by like a rat in the quarter. So Heimlich all day.

Jimmy:

Fair fair you.

Megan :

I think, realistically, I'd prefer the Heimlich because it's less moving parts and, I think, in my opinion, less possibility for things to go really poorly. I mean, I guess I don't know if that's true, but there's like less moving parts. You stand behind and you do the J in and up versus like childbirth there's a lot of moving parts and two patients you have to care for and sure, messy. But um, I a childbirth doesn't freak me out and the little you know, savior, complex, and you want to be like I wanna. I wanna help birth a child, I wanna be a part of that.

Megan :

But you could have it yeah, but but realistically I feel like the heimlich is easier to manage yeah, all day so, and it's also like a shorter process, like childbirth can take hours and hours and hours and yeah I'm like it's like the next question. I don't want to talk about would you rather be stuck um in an earthquake in a skyscraper or in a wildfire in the forest?

Jimmy:

wildfire in the forest easy. Why? Because I know what to do and less variables, Fair fair. Easier to manage Run into the block and run into the burn side. You're good, you know. If you can't run into the block and the burn, then you know there's ways to run away, to escape. What are those ways? You run sideways Because fires don't run so sideways.

Jimmy:

They go up and down mountains so you run so laterally instead of vertically Okay, preferably a rocky outcropping and then if you had to deploy the shelters the little aluminum foil shelters that they give you to protect yourself, then you have to do that Fair. Yeah, I'd rather do that Again. People, there's two people in skyscrapers, that's fair, that's very fair. And you don't know if you're the top of the skyscraper, the bottom of the skyscraper. You don't know if things are going to fall, fall what's the damage look like. I mean, luckily, I have some inside knowledge on a lot of that stuff. Yes, so I'm gonna have a little bit better just you know idea, but it's not the ideal situation, no, so what I'd rather?

Megan :

I'd rather be in a forest fire fair you um, after hearing that explanation'm going to go with wildfire in the forest. I was originally team skyscraper in an earthquake but because I figured there's no way to survive a wildfire because it just gets big and because, you know, I'm thinking of all the wildfires that make the news, that take days and days and forever to put out and I'm like you can put out and I'm like you can't outrun that. But you're right, you can just go to what's already burned or find a place that's not going to burn. I like that. Yeah, you learned something new. I'm telling you all. Right, uh, would you rather accidentally set off a fire alarm in a packed movie theater or be the only one who notices a fire and has to get everyone to safety? I feel like I know the answer here.

Jimmy:

Oh, for what I'm going to answer? Mm-hmm. So I have lots of questions on this one. Okay, so if I pulled the fire and it didn't need to happen, did anybody get hurt?

Megan :

Mm-hmm, no get hurt, Mm-hmm Um no.

Jimmy:

Then I'd rather always err on the side of caution and pull the alarm.

Megan :

Mm-hmm.

Jimmy:

So I mean I have reason to choose both on this one, Mm-hmm, Right.

Megan :

So I think we're talking accidentally, set it off like not pull it on purpose, thinking that there's a fire and then there not be a fire and then you need to break it, or something like that. Yeah, like, have it catch on your sweater Sure sure which could theoretically happen for school ones.

Jimmy:

I think that would be really embarrassing and I'm thinking I think I've done that before. I guess I would know if I'd done that before. So if I have to think, if I've done that before, I guess I would know if I'd done that before. So if I have to think if I've done it before I probably haven't done it. I've done it for drills and stuff like that.

Megan :

Maybe a nightmare or two. Nah, For me I feel like I would have a nightmare about accidentally setting off a fire alarm and being embarrassed. I feel like most of my nightmares are just like embarrassment nightmares.

Jimmy:

I don't care if I'm embarrassed, okay, if you haven't noticed, it's hard to embarrass me, so I guess I don't know. I don't know how that went. That's a good one, that's a good question, so I would fight the fire. The other one.

Megan :

I mean.

Jimmy:

I'd pull a fire extinguisher if I could. I'd yell fire, fire, fire. I'd have to blow out as fast as I could and then fight it, yeah. So I don't know, that's kind of the weakest one, I mean. It's not a good scenario for me. So you're thinking what would you rather do then? What was your answer?

Megan :

Me, I don't know. I mean, I see it both ways, because if you're accidentally setting it off and it doesn't need to be set off, then there's not a fire and hopefully people aren't getting hurt, you know, assuming people are doing it correctly and not trampling each other, so that one there's no actual injuries or damage unless property damage from the sprinklers. But the other one, there is actual damage, but hopefully everyone's getting to safety. And so, like I don't know, it's the question of would I rather have there be property damage or deal with some embarrassment? And when you put it that way, I feel like I should just deal with the embarrassment, sure, but realistically, I can get embarrassed very easily, as you know, yes, and so realistically, I'd probably like to be the little savior, the hero, and not have to deal with being embarrassed. That's awesome, which maybe makes me not a good person, but it is the truth.

Jimmy:

It's the truth. No, it makes you a good person. You're fine.

Megan :

Would you rather give first aid to a shark bite victim on a remote beach or to a hiker with a broken leg in the mountains, far away from civilization?

Jimmy:

Well, I love the beach and the nicer the beach the better, mm-hmm. And to me there's really not a nice beach, mm-hmm. I've been to some not great beaches, but there's some nice beaches out there. So in the shark part the thing would be easy. Just don't try to get on it. Mm-hmm. Everybody's trying to get it and manage the person for shock, shock, put a warm towel on them. So I'm gonna go to shark bite because it's easy. And, um, I'm already in a cool spot and yeah, fair, yeah, that was easy. That was like, yeah, I'd really be at the beach.

Megan :

I think I agree.

Jimmy:

Yeah.

Megan :

Yeah, I feel like it's an easier also just an easier thing to manage Because, like you said, you just throw a tourniquet on and then that stops the bleeding, whereas a broken leg there's, you know you have to worry about splinting it, and well, you don't have to, but I would worry about splinting it, and then there's still potentially bleeding from that. I mean definitely bleeding from that, sure, whether it be internal or if it is an open fracture.

Jimmy:

Yeah, and then you have to worry about, like, if you're on the beach, hopefully you know there's civilization close by, you know you're on a desolate forest.

Megan :

Well, it says remote beach.

Jimmy:

Remote beach. I mean you're still going to get help soon, right Fair, Whereas if you're out in the forest it's harder to find Fair, you know, get help. So you're going to have to deal with the environment. You're going to have to deal with the injury. You're going to have to deal with the person. You have to deal with hiking the person in and out of the area, finding help, waiting for help. You're looking at 12, 24 hours maybe, whereas the shark bite trying to get more, and you're going to get help fairly quickly, fair help fairly quickly.

Megan :

Fair, alright. Would you rather have to run out? Oh, this one's not a great question. Would you rather have to run out of your house during a fire with only your phone or only your emergency go bag?

Jimmy:

So why do you think this is a good one? I'll ask that question first.

Megan :

I don't know. I mean, I guess when I I don't know, I originally was thinking because it feels very obvious To me. I feel like I need to leave my phone and take my go bag because phones are replaceable. But I guess your emergency go bag is also replaceable. But for me I'm thinking, my go bag has the stuff for my cats in it. They have specialized food and they have tummy issues. They have tummy issues.

Jimmy:

We'll talk about that later.

Megan :

Off air Off air and so I'd like, and they have like their medications and stuff, and so that stuff is harder to replace than a phone.

Jimmy:

Fair.

Megan :

And that way I can like I have a litter box for them so that I don't have to like deal with my cats not having a litter box. And phones are replaceable and I would be bored for you know a day while I wait for it to get replaced.

Jimmy:

But all right. Well, I'll see. If it's uh, it's my phone. That's going to fairly leave me a little bit limited on. You know, where do I stay that night? What do I do? Right, how do I make a pay for things? I have Apple Pay, but you know, that could be troublesome, whereas if I have my bag, I could probably camp, I could maybe have clothes, I have documents that I would probably need, things like that. So I'm thinking long term, not short term. I'd rather have my bag, I'd rather have my back, I'd rather have my back. Yeah, I wish there was an option where, if I had the fire, I'd put the fire out, because that's what I wanted to do.

Megan :

Of course, but yeah, I think I'd also rather have my go-back. Yeah, and you know, shout-out to phone, phone backups and iCloud, and I have an iPhone.

Jimmy:

Yeah, I mean same, but yeah yeah, alrighty.

Megan :

Would you rather take a 24-hour survival challenge in the desert with just a first aid kit or in the Arctic with just a fire starter?

Jimmy:

desert with just a first aid kit, or in the Arctic with just a fire starter. The desert with a first aid kit or the Arctic with a fire starter. Fun fact I've actually been watching this father and son youtube videos on how to survive in alaska and the son actually just survived in his first overnight by himself and he's nine, oh my gosh, and it was like sub negative 40 degrees at night and the kid survived I mean good for him.

Megan :

I would be a really horrible video if he didn't survive or it depends on how you look at it, right.

Jimmy:

I mean, it could have been educational. Why would you let your kid do that, right? Yeah, and full disclosure. The dad was about 200 yards away, maybe 100 yards away, so if something happened, the dad was pretty close for the most part. But the kid did everything himself. He built his own shelter, he built his own fire, and I learned some things recently. I can start a fire in the snow.

Megan :

Cool. Finding things that burn is the hard part, especially because I feel like things are wet there.

Jimmy:

Yeah, yeah and the frost and things like that, mm-hmm. So he actually did a really cool thing in this last video I watched where he dug out the hole and he had a fire and he made a little fire and then he took the coals and he spread the coals out like in a little valley, mm-hmm. Then he put like a light thing, a journal, on top of them, covered all the coals and then he laid on top of that to keep himself warm and then he had another fire. You know, next to him.

Jimmy:

And I was like oh, that's genius, that is a genius, yeah, so that's something I had learned. So I'm going to go with snow, with the fire starter what about you?

Megan :

oh man, I don't know because I haven't been watching those videos, so I don't know that I would know how to survive, with sure, but I also don't know that I know how to survive because here's the thing, the desert. Hopefully I'm not in need of first aid, so the first aid kit would be useless, whereas in the arctic, the fire starter is something that I would definitely use. So it's like arctic with something I would definitely use, or desert with something that hopefully I don't have to use, right, um, but I also I also think that I probably would fare better in the desert, even though I have less supplies. Maybe a first aid kit would have water in it. Boom, that could be useful. If it's a really good first aid kit, it has those emergency water pouches. I'm going to go desert, okay, with a caveat on water pouches. Yeah, or even without. You know, I have the cactus that drink the water. Is that a myth? I feel like that's a myth. No, there's something like that.

Jimmy:

I didn't do that. My no, there's something like that. My thing is, though you don't like to be hot.

Megan :

I don't like to be hot, but who does, who does. But also I don't like to be freezing cold either. I'm very much a California girl. I like mid, I like the snow, I think, just in general. If I have time to prepare and can bring things, I prefer the snow because I can like have, you know, snow jacket and snow pants and that will keep me warm. But if I like don't have that like if I'm just dropped in the Arctic, as I am right now jeans and a thin hoodie, I don't like that. Another point I'd rather be hot and I can pretend shelter or something. Yeah, because I feel like it's easier to deal with the heat and get out of the heat than it is to be cold and get uncold. For me, I don't heat up very well, I can cool down decently well, but if I'm cold it's so hard to get me not cold. Okay, speed run. Last question Would you rather have perfect knowledge of first aid but no supplies? Or all the medical supplies in the world but no clue how to use them?

Jimmy:

The knowledge with no supplies. If you have a true understanding of the stuff, you can improvise.

Megan :

I agree.

Jimmy:

And you've seen me improvise stuff you know in classes and just kind of doing trainings in-house. The students haven't seen me improvise too much stuff, but I definitely feel like I can improvise most anything.

Megan :

Yeah.

Jimmy:

Most anything.

Megan :

I agree, and it's like I mean, this is the point that I've made before but why would you bother having medical supplies if you don't know how to use them? That's just as bad as not having them, because then you, if you don't know how to use them, you can't use them. So why, why have them, versus if you at least have the knowledge you can, like you said, improvise like wound packing, gym sock yeah tourniquet, non-stretchy fabric. Ring pen, boom. Yeah, that's what I got for improvisation there's lots of stuff like that.

Jimmy:

Those are all good things. Those are all good things, you know um yeah, this was fun we should probably do this again, okay, and so, team, when you see our instagram, you know letter for life safety associates instagram page or on the facebook page, um, or even on the youtube page or the linkedin page, anywhere you can leave a comment. Leave a comment and give us your answers on some of these.

Megan :

I think that'd be fun to read.

Jimmy:

Oh yeah, and or email us at email at life safetycom Um and send us a. Would you rather question or answer some of these questions and then maybe next time we do this we can answer, ask some of those questions or answer some of those questions.

Megan :

Send us questions. Next time we do this, we can ask some of those questions or answer some of those questions. Send us questions. Oh, that would be fun. Okay, it's on you guys now. Send us questions or things you're dying to know. It doesn't have to be would you rather questions, but anything? And we'll do a whole listener podcast and that'll be the theme.

Jimmy:

A listener Q&A podcast. Yeah, are you sure?

Megan :

Yeah.

Jimmy:

All right, here we.

People on this episode

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Jimmy Rios

Host
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Jenny Rios

Co-host
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Megan Dake-Merklinghaus

Co-host