AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Created By…

First Aid—

Responding to Emergencies

Chapter 1: If Not You…Who?

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Recognizing Emergencies

Types of emergencies –

Sudden illness

Injury

Emergencies are characterized by -

Life-threatening

Non-life-threatening

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Citizen Responder

Your primary role as a citizen responder in an emergency includes—

Recognizing that an emergency exists.

Deciding to act.

Taking action by calling 9-1-1 or the local emergency number to activate EMS.

Giving care until help arrives.

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Overcoming Barriers to Action

Reasons people give for not helping are called barriers to action. They include:

Presence of bystanders

Uncertainty about the victim

Nature of the injury or illness

Fear of disease transmission

Fear of doing something wrong

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Until Help Arrives

Always follow the pre-arrival instructions.

Ask yourself…

“In what other ways can I give help?”

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Preparing for Emergencies

Keep important information.

Keep medical and insurance records.

Find out if your community is served by 9-1-1 or a local emergency telephone number.

Keep emergency telephone numbers listed.

Keep a first aid kit readily available (pg.12 - 13).

Learn and stay up to date on first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills.

Make sure your house or apartment number is easy to read.

Wear a medical alert tag.

Chapter 2: Responding to an Emergency

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Emergency Action Steps

Follow the Emergency Action Steps:

CHECK

The scene and the victim.

CALL

9-1-1 or the local emergency number.

CARE

For the victim until EMS arrives.

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Making the Call

Send someone else to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.

If you are alone:

Call First –

Call 911 before giving care for-

An unconscious adult victim or adolescent age 12 or older.

A witnessed sudden collapse of a child or infant.

An unconscious infant or child known to be at a high risk for heart problems.

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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If you are alone:

Care First -

Give 2 minutes of care, then call 911 for-

An unconscious victim younger than age 12.

Any victim of submersion or near drowning.

Situations related to breathing emergencies rather than sudden cardiac arrest.

Making the Call

AMERICAN RED CROSS FIRST AID–RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES FOURTH EDITIONCopyright © 2006 by The American National Red CrossAll rights reserved.

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Closing

The emergency action steps: CHECK—CALL—CARE will guide your actions in any emergency.

If you are in a situation in which you are the only person other than the victim, you must make a decision to Call First or Care First :

Call First situations are generally cardiac-related emergencies.

Care First situations are usually breathing-related emergencies.