Cardinal HouseBlue Ridge, GA

Safety guide

If something goes wrong.

Most stays are uneventful. This page is for the rare one that isn't — who to call, what to say, and what to do in the minutes before help arrives. Screenshot it before you lose signal on the drive in.

Tell 911 you are at

105 Arrow Way

Mineral Bluff, GA 30559 · Fannin County

In a real crisis

Fire, smoke, a gas smell, a serious injury, someone who can't breathe, or anyone in danger. Do these in order.

  1. 1

    Call 911 first

    For anything involving injury, fire, smoke, a gas smell, flooding, or someone in danger. Fannin County dispatch sends fire, EMS, and the sheriff from one call.

  2. 2

    Give the address slowly

    105 Arrow Way, Mineral Bluff, GA 30559 (Fannin County). Mention it's a cabin on a gravel road and describe your car so responders can spot you.

  3. 3

    If your phone has no bars, use Wi‑Fi calling

    Wi‑Fi calling reaches 911 from the cabin. Turn it on in your phone's settings if you haven't already, and keep the cabin Wi‑Fi connected during your stay.

  4. 4

    Get everyone out, then stay out

    For fire, smoke, or a gas smell: leave the doors open behind you, gather at the driveway, and don't go back inside for belongings.

  5. 5

    Then message guest support

    Once everyone is safe, message Casago through your VRBO or Casago reservation. They're staffed around the clock and will alert us and dispatch a local tech if the cabin needs attention.

Want the one-page version — who to call for what, plus a minute-by-minute timeline? Open the crisis response plan.

Crisis FAQ

The questions guests actually ask when something goes wrong — gas smells, alarms, leaks, outages, bears, lockouts — answered from the steps and numbers on this page. If it's happening right now and someone is in danger, stop reading and call 911.

Nearest ER and urgent care

Closest first, with drive times measured from the cabin. These rows come from the same audited list as the area guide, so they stay in step. If you're not sure whether to drive or call, call 911 — an ambulance brings care to you.

  • Blue Ridge Medical Center

    24/7 emergency room, 8.8 miles from the cabin. This is the nearest ER.

    (706) 632-3711

    2855 Old Highway 5 North, Blue Ridge, GA 30513

    ER open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    15 min away

  • Union General Hospital

    Backup ER with inpatient beds and an 18-bed emergency department, 36 min from the cabin. Labor & delivery, surgery, and full inpatient services on site.

    (706) 745-2111

    35 Hospital Road, Blairsville, GA 30512

    ER open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with 24-hour physician coverage (operator, verbatim).

    36 min away

  • Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital

    Backup ER with inpatient beds, 41 minutes. CMS confirms emergency services; as a Critical Access Hospital, 24-hour emergency care is a federal condition of participation.

    (828) 837-8161

    3990 East US Highway 64 Alt., Murphy, NC 28906

    ER open 24 hours - federal requirement for Critical Access Hospitals.

    41 min away

Emergency contacts

In a genuine emergency, dial 911 first. Fannin County dispatch will route the right team — the cabin's address is in your welcome guide and on the fridge.

Utilities & the Cabin

If something at the cabin isn't working, the fastest path is a message to Casago on the VRBO or Casago app — they dispatch a local tech. These numbers are for outages and utilities beyond the cabin.

Vets, after-hours pet care, and pharmacies are on the Resources page.

First-aid basics

The situations that actually come up on a mountain weekend. This is general guidance, not a substitute for a doctor — when in doubt, call. Your welcome guide shows where the first-aid kit and fire extinguisher are; find them on your first evening.

Cuts and heavy bleeding

  1. Press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth and keep pressing — don't peek for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Raise the injured limb above the heart if you can.
  3. Once bleeding slows, rinse with clean water and cover with a bandage.

Get help now: Bleeding that soaks through cloth, spurts, or won't slow after 10 minutes of pressure.

Burns (fire pit, grill, hot tub cover, stove)

  1. Run cool — not ice-cold — water over the burn for 10–20 minutes.
  2. Remove rings or tight clothing near the burn before it swells.
  3. Cover loosely with a clean, dry cloth. No butter, no ice, don't pop blisters.

Get help now: Burns larger than the person's palm, on the face, hands, or joints, or any burn that looks white or charred.

Sprains and falls on the trail

  1. Rest, ice (a cold creek or a bag of frozen peas works), compress with a wrap, and elevate.
  2. If they can't put weight on it or the joint looks misshapen, treat it as a break: don't straighten it, pad it, and head to urgent care.

Get help now: A visible deformity, numbness below the injury, or a head hit followed by confusion or vomiting.

Bee stings and allergic reactions

  1. Scrape the stinger out sideways with a card edge, then apply something cold.
  2. An antihistamine helps with normal swelling and itch.
  3. If the person carries an epinephrine pen, use it at the first sign of throat tightness or hives spreading — don't wait.

Get help now: Trouble breathing, swelling of the lips or tongue, dizziness, or hives away from the sting site.

Tick bites

  1. Grip the tick as close to the skin as possible with tweezers and pull straight up, steadily.
  2. Wash the spot with soap and water and note the date.
  3. Check kids, dogs, and hairlines after every hike.

Get help now: Not a 911 issue, but see a doctor if a bull's-eye rash, fever, or aches show up in the following weeks.

Snake bite

  1. Copperheads and timber rattlesnakes live in these mountains. Move away, keep the person calm and still, and keep the bite below heart level.
  2. Remove jewelry and tight clothing near the bite.
  3. No tourniquet, no cutting, no ice, no sucking the venom out — just get to the ER.

Get help now: Every venomous or suspected-venomous bite. Call 911 or drive straight to the nearest ER.

Heat exhaustion and dehydration

  1. Get into shade or AC, loosen clothing, sip water or a sports drink, and cool the skin with wet cloths.
  2. Rest — pushing on is how this becomes heat stroke.

Get help now: Confusion, fainting, no sweating despite the heat, or a body temperature that feels very high.

Cold, wet, and shivering

  1. Get out of wet clothes and into dry layers and blankets. Warm the core first — chest, neck, head.
  2. Warm, sweet drinks help if the person is alert. No alcohol.

Get help now: Shivering that stops while the person is still cold, slurred speech, or drowsiness.

Choking

  1. If they can cough or speak, encourage coughing.
  2. If they can't, give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades, then five abdominal thrusts, and repeat.
  3. For a baby, use back blows and chest thrusts instead.

Get help now: Call as soon as the person can't breathe or speak — put the phone on speaker while you help.

Poison ivy and unknown plants or mushrooms

  1. Wash skin with soap and cool water within 30 minutes of contact; wash clothes and the dog too.
  2. Don't eat anything foraged unless you're certain what it is.

Get help now: For anything swallowed, call Georgia Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 first — they'll tell you whether to go in.

We keep this page vetted, but numbers and hours change — call ahead when it matters. Spot something out of date? Message us through your reservation and we'll fix it. More answers on the FAQ.