What to Do During an Emergency

No two emergencies are exactly the same. But there is a general plan of response that you should follow in every emergency situation.

1. Survey the Scene

You can’t help a victim if you get hurt yourself. Before providing first aid, always check the scene for dangers such as:

Fire
Downed power lines
Hazardous chemicals
Unsafe structures
Traffic

Never attempt to enter a dangerous scene. Instead, call 911 and explain the situation. The 911 operator will dispatch the appropriate public safety workers.

2. Decide Whether to Move the Victim

In the vast majority of emergencies, you should not move the victim. Movement can worsen injuries the victim may already have sustained. However, there are a few scenarios in which you may need to move a victim:

If the victim is in immediate physical danger
If the victim’s injury or illness is life-threatening and the victim is positioned in a way that prevents you from providing first aid

How to Move a Victim

If you do have to move a victim, follow these guidelines:

Keep the spine and neck straight: Always keep the neck and spine in a straight line. Never move a victim sideways—only in the direction of the head or feet.
Drag by the collar: If possible, try to pull the victim by the collar, using your forearms to support the head.
Pull from shoulders or feet: If you can’t move the victim using only his clothes, pull the body from both feet or both shoulders.

The Recovery Position

The recovery position is a body position that keeps the victim’s airway unobstructed. It should be used when a person is injured or ill but breathing normally. It should not be used if breathing is unstable or if you suspect a spinal injury.

Straighten the victim’s legs and place the arm closest to you at a right angle to the body. Remove any bulky items from the victim’s pockets.
With one hand, lift the arm farthest from you and bring it across the victim’s chest. Hold the arm so the back of the victim’s hand is against the cheek closest to you. With your other hand, lift the knee farthest from you so that the victim’s far foot rests flat against the ground.
Roll the victim gently toward you, without ever allowing the victim’s hand to lose contact with his cheek. The hip and knee of the victim’s top leg should both be bent at right angles. Tilt the head back slightly to keep the airway open.

3. Assess the Victim

Assessing an ill or injured person will give you the information you need to begin providing first aid.

Assessing Airway and Breathing

Assess consciousness: Approach the victim and ask, “Are you okay?”
1. If the victim is able to talk or cough: This means he has an open airway and is breathing. Skip to “Assessing Illness or Injury” below.
2. If the victim does not speak: Check for responsiveness by tapping or gently shaking his arm. If the victim responds by talking or coughing, skip to “Assessing Illness or Injury” below.
If the victim still doesn’t respond: Call 911.
1. If someone else is with you: Have that person call for help while you stay with the victim.
2. If you’re alone and the victim is an adult: Call for help yourself and then continue your assessment.
3. If you’re alone and the victim is a child or infant: Deliver five cycles of CPR before calling 911.
Try to open the airway: A foreign object or the victim’s tongue may be obstructing the airway. With the victim on his back, open the airway by tilting the head back with one hand while tilting the chin upward with the other.
Take ten seconds—and no longer—to check for normal breathing: Watch to see whether the victim’s chest is rising. Put your ear close to the victim’s mouth and nose and listen and feel with your cheek for breathing. Don’t mistake gasping for breathing.
1. If the victim is breathing: Put him in the recovery position and wait for medical help.
2. If there’s no sign of breathing: Perform CPR.

Assessing Illness or Injury

If the victim is breathing, assess for illness or injury. Question the victim, question other people at the scene, and observe the victim. If you observe (or the victim reports) any of the signs listed below, call 911:

Sudden dizziness or fainting
Decreased level of responsiveness
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Sudden, severe vomiting
Weakness in or loss of use of an extremity
Change in vision
Chest or abdominal pain or pressure
Sudden or severe pain in any body part

You should also palpate (feel) the victim’s body from head to toe to check for:

Severe bleeding
Unusual skin color or temperature
Abnormal breathing
Deformities, such as extremities in abnormal positions
Verbal complaint of pain when a body part is touched
Swelling or tenderness in any area
Cuts or scrapes

4. Calling for Help

The most important aspect of first aid is knowing when and how to summon medical assistance. You should always call for help when:

The victim is unconscious or unresponsive
You believe that the victim’s condition is, or could become, life-threatening
There has been a car accident, fire, or explosion
There are downed electrical wires or a hazardous substance is present

If you believe that the condition is or may be life threatening, or if you are uncertain what to do, you should always call for help—even if the victim refuses first aid.

How to Summon Help

Calling 911 is the most common way to access the emergency response system, though some phone systems have different contact methods. In some locations, dialing 911 doesn’t work, so make sure you know the specific numbers to call for emergency help from home, work, and anywhere else you spend considerable time. When you call your local emergency number, be ready to share the following information:

Your name, location, and the telephone number from which you’re calling
Type of emergency (car accident, animal bite, heart attack, etc.)
Number of persons injured
Condition of victims and treatment received so far.

Don’t hang up until the emergency response operator tells you to do so. You may need to answer further questions or follow instructions vital to the victim’s survival.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer