When responding to emergencies it is crucial to follow the proper procedures. When helping somebody who is in life-threatening condition, keep in mind that first aid is the care you are providing for them until advanced care can take over. The pressure of stepping in is heavy, and nerve-racking but if you are trained in first aid, do what you can to lend a helping hand. Bystanders who recognize/respond to emergencies, mostly phone for help and stay to comfort the injured person and/or family. Some do end up giving first aid care, if nobody else knows how.
Levels of First Aid Training: Emergency First Aid- Dealing with life-threatening conditions and focuses on airway,breathing, and circulation emergencies, plus wounds.
Standard First Aid- Dealing with life-threatening conditions as well and other emergencies that lead up to life-threatening situations if not treated immediately
Although these are different levels of training, they both focus on the following:
Airway, breathing, and circulation emergencies
Wounds
Head + spine injuries
Injuries to bones, muscles, and joints
Sudden medical emergencies
Hot and cold related emergencies
Poisoning
The Role of a First Aider:
Recognize and identify the emergency
Call medical services(EMS/9-1-1)
Help as much as you can, according to your knowledge, skill, and comfort level.
RECOGNIZING- Know what you are dealing with, and if it is safe to help without harming yourself or others.
Difference Between a Medical Emergency and an Injury: Medical Emergency- Illness/condition that needs immediate care, (i.e: A heart attack would be considered a medical emergency) Injury- Damage done to the body caused by an external force. (i.e: broken bones, wounds, burns,etc.) These are most commonly caused by collisions, falls, and poisonings.
Do not treat somebody if you are unsure what the type of emergency it is. Call 9-1-1 and allow professionals guide you through helping them.
Barriers Keeping You From Helping:
Other People at the Scene: When there are multiple people at the scene. You will easily assume that at least one person has to know what they are doing, but you should NEVER assume that. Just because there are many people doesn’t mean there aren’t things that need to be done.
The Ill/injured Person: It is in human nature to feel uncomfortable when seeing somebody injured. They may be behaving oddly, several years older/younger than you, different gender, or even race, but remember that they are in need of help.
Unpleasant Injuries or Illness: People tend to get sick when seeing blood, vomit, bones, or any other injuries. If this is the case, take a moment to calm yourself down before proceeding.
Catching Diseases: It is normal to be concerned about catching an unknown illness, but if you follow the precautions properly as well as have a barrier piece, you should be fine.
Doing Something Wrong: The fear of making a mistake when helping an injured person is quite high, but if you are reasonable and act only with the amount of knowledge you know, you should be fine. In all provinces/territories there are laws that are meant to protect bystanders who approach and become involved in helping an injured person. Use proper judgement and don’t do anything you are unfamiliar with. Keep providing CPR/first aid until EMS arrive.
Getting Consent: After deciding to help, consent is CRUCIAL. Tell them these things if they are conscious:
1. Who you are.
2. That you are a trained first aid.
3. That you are here to help, if they let you.
If a baby or a child is ill/injured:
Ask the supervising adult for consent
If the baby/child is alone than you can assume that you have consent and you can start to help them
If the person refuses your help these are the following procedures you need to follow:
Have somebody call EMS/9-1-1, letting them know that the person has refused help so that when the EMS arrive they will know how to deal with the situation.