Intro to First Aid

Emergencies happen everyday Car accidents Falls Sudden illness Heart attacks/stroke Heart Disease – leading cause of death 900,000 die each year, 300,000 of them are from sudden cardiac arrests Unintentional Injury – in 2008; 118,000 died from injury and 25.7 million were disabled

Your role: give first aid until medical attention arrives EMS (Emergency Medical System)- Police, Fire, Paramedics, EMT’s, 9-1-1 dispatchers, and you Your job  Check – Call – Care Sequence of events 1st: Citizen call 2nd: 911 Dispatch 3rd: First Responder 4th: EMT’s 5th: Hospital Last: Recovery/Rehab

As a responder you will take 4 steps to help the victim 1: Recognize 2: Decide to Act 3: Activate EMS 4: Give care until help arrives

Recognize Noises Sights Screaming/Yelling Crash – Glass, Metal, Screeching Change in normal sounds Unusual Silence Sights Stopped vehicle Downed wires Motionless person Spills Smoke/fire

Odors Unusual Behavior Stronger than usual unrecognizable Unconsciousness Confusion Sudden Fall Obvious Pain Trouble Breathing

Decide to Act Once you see a victim/emergency, you must decide to act How can you act? Talk to victim, Call 911 or family, administer 1st Aid Why don’t people assist in an emergency? Fear of doing something wrong Don’t know what to do Assume someone else will do it Type of injury is too gross or scary Fear of catching disease Fear of being sued

Contact EMS Depending on Emergency, depends on who you call 99% of the time 911 will work They will put in contact with correct agency They will also guide in helping victim and giving care Sometimes (rarely) an area does not have 911 services Contact local sheriff, poison control, doctor, etc Also, see if you can contact family member of victim (Do not interrupt care of victim or hang up on 911)

Give Care Only give care in which you have been trained or feel comfortable doing ALWAYS!!!!! Think first. Do NOT do anything that will injury/harm the victim anymore Do NOT harm yourself when giving care Always get consent first Ask the person if they want help If they can’t not respond, it is implied consent

Be Prepared for Emergencies Have your contact info and medical info on you at all times Get trained in first aid and CPR (umm, that’s what your doing right now) Know where first aid kits are Know who to contact Where medical bracelet in needed

Good Samaritan Law When you give first aid, you are legally protected if: you give care in good faith without expecting anything in return Use common sense and use reasonable level of skill Move victim only if life is endangered Ask victim for permission to give care Check for life threatening emergencies Call for help Give only care in which you are trained

When you are not protected: You are deliberately negligent/reckless Start to help and quit Do not assist at all or call for help Provide care in which you are not trained and do more damage

Things to Remember in an Emergency Before you Act Be Realistic You can’t always help Know yourself Know your strengths and weakness (physically & emotionally) Know the Facts (laws) Be Prepared Gather Supplies

Recognize the Need to Act Learn signs or signals of an emergency Familiarize yourself with hazards Prepare for aftermath Victim may go into shock Infection Your own emotional situation

During an emergency Remain Calm Use common sense Be resourceful DO NOT PANIC!!!!! You must have a clear mind for yourself and others Most victims do not know the severity of injury, panic will make it worse Use common sense Be resourceful Use what you have to help Be aware Things change during emergencies Do no further Harm To yourself or the victim

Disease Prevention

When giving care – You must protect yourself from diseases Infectious disease – diseases that can spread from one person to the next Ex. HIV, Flu, Chickenpox, Herpes

How do they spread? Direct Contact – transfer of “germs” from body fluids directly into another person How? Spit, blood, “Throwing shoes”, sharing food/drinks, open wounds Indirect Contact – transfer of “germs” without coning in contact with sick person How? Air, transfer onto objects

Prevention Standard Precautions Now known as PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) Avoid direct contact with body fluids Use CPR barriers Cover your own cuts & Scrapes Wash hands after giving care If you come in contact with body fluids (from an unknown person), get medical attention

Cleaning up Blood Always clean immediately Use gloves Use Bleach solution Dispose in biohazard container

Check-Call-Care Check first Always check is the scene is safe Observations: Is immediate danger involved? What happened? How many people are involved? Is anyone else available to help? What is wrong?

Call first or not? When to call first? When to Care first? Victim in unconscious Child or infant suddenly collapse Known to have heart problems When to Care first? An unconscious child you did not see collapse Any drowning victim

Giving Care General Guidelines Do no further harm Monitor breathing & consciousness Help victim as comfortable as possible Keep from getting overheated or too cold Reassure the person Give specific care as needed

Transporting a Person NEVER transport a victim: Cause more injury Life threatening condition Unsure nature of injury

Moving a victim Only move a victim: Faced with immediate danger Fire, lack of oxygen, collapsing structure, etc When you have to get to another victim in more serious condition When necessary to proper care

Types of Emergency Moves Pack-Strap Carry Clothes Drag Blanket Drag Ankle Drag

Checking an Conscious/Responsive Person Interview victim and bystanders Ask happened? Do you feel pain? Do you have allergies? Any medical conditions? Check Head to Toe Look for bleeding, abnormalities Check for consciousness Changes in breathing Skin color Medical ID Tags SAMPLE S- Signs & Symptoms A – Allergies M – Medications P – Pertinent Medical Info L – Last Food/ Drink E – Events Leading to this

Shock What is it? What to look for… Lack of oxygen to organs Restlessness or irritability Nausea Pale skin Rapid Breathing Excessive Thirst

Checking an Unconscious Person Do they have an open airway? Are they breathing normal? Are they bleeding severely? How to open airway….

Review: Before Giving Care What is the Good Samaritan law? And Why do we have it? If a person doesn’t give consent, what do you do? What if they can’t? What type of injuries or illness should you call 911? Give some examples that indicate an emergency has occured

What are standard precautions? How do you check a conscious person? Unconscious? When checking for breathing, how long do you watch for? How do you treat someone for shock?