Home » Health & Wellness » First Aid » EMERGENCY ACTION STEPS

EMERGENCY ACTION STEPS

© Kathleen Newton

Many people hesitate to take action during an emergency simply because they're just not sure what to do. Here is a list of the basic emergency action steps. They're easy to learn and, by knowing these steps, you may someday save a life!

EMERGENCY ACTION STEPS

1. CHECK

2. CALL

3. CARE

Let's look at these steps in more detail.

CHECK: *to determine if the scene is safe. Make sure you, and any victims, are in no danger. If the scene is unsafe, move (yourself, and any victims, if possible) to safety.

*to determine what happened. Some causes are obvious, such as a car accident or fire, but other causes (like a heart attack or stroke), may be difficult to identify.

*to determine the number of victims. Take care to search the area carefully. In some situations, such as a car accident, victims may be some distance away from the primary scene.

*to determine if anyone in the area is able to help. Yelling for help is the easiest way to get people's attention.

CALL:

*911 or your local emergency number. If you're not sure whether your emergency requires the services of emergency personnel, BE SAFE AND CALL!

*Make sure you have the following information available when calling 911: -The number of the phone you're calling from. -Your name.

-What happened. -Number of victims and their conditions. -First Aid given.

REMEMBER: DON'T HANG UP UNTIL THE DISPATCHER TELLS YOU TO!

CARE:

*Always care for life-threatening emergencies first. For example, care for an unconscious victim before one who has a broken arm, but is conscious. Unconsciousness is a life-threatening condition.

*Remember to get consent from the victim before providing care. In the event of an unconscious victim, consent is implied, meaning if the victim knew they were unconscious, they would want you to care for them.

REMEMBER: CHECK!! CALL!! CARE!!

Do any of you have a story of how you assisted in an emergency? Email your stories to me!

The copyright of the article EMERGENCY ACTION STEPS in First Aid is owned by Kathleen Newton. Permission to republish EMERGENCY ACTION STEPS in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.