In the excitement of an emergency, you may be frightened or confused about what to do. Stay calm—you can help. An emergency scene might look complicated at first, but these three emergency action steps will help you organize your response to the situation.
1. Check Check the scene and the victim. Check the scene for unsafe conditions that would prevent you from helping. Check the victim for consciousness, breathing and signs of circulation.
2. Call Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number.
3. Care Care for the victim. Care for the conditions that you find (first aid, rescue breathing, CPR). Make the victim comfortable until EMS personnel arrive.
Calling for Help If the victim is in the water, your first goal is to stay safe yourself. Rushing into the water to help a victim may lead to you becoming a victim too. Once you ensure your safety, your goal is to help get the person out of the water. If the person is unconscious, send someone else to call EMS personnel while you start the rescue. If the person is conscious, you can first act to get the person out of the water and then determine whether EMS is needed.
If the victim is not in the water, as soon as you determine that there is an emergency, call EMS immediately. If you are in doubt about whether the victim needs professional help, do not hesitate—call EMS personnel.
The following conditions and situations are serious and require you to call EMS:
- Any drowning or near-drowning situation
- Injury to the head, neck or back
- Difficulty breathing
- Persistent chest or abdominal pain or pressure
- No pulse
- Unconsciousness
- Severe bleeding, vomiting or passing blood
- Seizure, severe headache or slurred speech
- Poisoning
- Possible broken bones
- Multiple injuries
Make the call to EMS personnel yourself, or ask someone else at the scene to call. If possible, send two people to make the call. Tell the callers to report back to you and tell you what the dispatcher said.
Be sure the callers stay on the phone after giving all of the information to the dispatcher, in case there are any questions. Make sure that the dispatcher has all the correct information to get the right help to the scene quickly.
Be prepared to tell the dispatcher the following:
- The location of the emergency (exact address, city or town, nearby intersections or landmarks, name of the facility)
- The telephone number of the telephone being used
- The caller’s name
- What happened
- The number of victims
- The help being given so far
Remember, do not hang up first because the dispatcher may need more information.
If you are in a situation in which you are the only person other than the victim, you should Call First, that is, call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number before providing care for:
- An unconscious adult or child 8 years old or older
- An unconscious infant or child known to be at high risk for heart problems
Call First situations are likely to be cardiac emergencies, such as sudden cardiac arrest, where time is critical.
Call Fast, that is, provide 1 minute of care, then call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number for:
- An unconscious victim less than 8 years old
- Any victim of submersion or near drowning
- Any victim of cardiac arrest associated with trauma
- Any victim of drug overdose
Call Fast situations are likely to be related to breathing emergencies rather than sudden cardiac arrest. In these situations, provide support for airway, breathing and circulation through rescue breaths and chest compressions, as appropriate.
