First aid is the initial care given to the ill or injured while… Medical aid is the secondary care and treatment given by suitably trained health care professionals. These include paramedics, doctors and nurses

The Purpose of First Aid The main aim of first aid is to prevent the condition from worsening. Signs and Symptoms A sign is something that you can see, hear, smell or touch. A symptom is something that the casualty tells you they are feeling.

Signs & Symptoms continued… Signs Blood Vomit Bruising Burns Lump Breaks Symptoms “I feel sick” “I feel a stabbing pain in my arm” “I feel faint” “It felt like the bone clicked” “I feel pins and needles in my arm”

Calling an Ambulance In an emergency sometimes it is hard to think straight because of the urgency, your adrenaline and maybe even panic. So it is important to be familiar with and practice making a phone call to the ambulance. There are specific information that the control centre will always ask so it is advantageous to be familiar with these questions early.

Making the Call… 1. Call 000, or 112 for an out of range mobile or one without a SIM 2. Ask for ambulance 3. Give the exact location: street adress, neareast cross street/intersection, map reference (Melways Ref) 4. Phone number: confirm number you are calling from in case the signal drops out or ambulance has difficulty finding you. 5. Chief Complaint: What is wrong? Describe what has happened to casualty. 6. Other Information: age and sex of casualty, conscious state of casualty, patient’s name, skin colour, temp, medical history (information found from patient or family or friends), and signs and symptoms.

Helpful Acronyms When delivering first aid, there can be a lot of information that needs to be remembered. To make it easier to remember steps Acronyms are used. Common acronyms that we will be looking at across this unit are: – DR ABCD – RICER – CPR

Today’s Tasks Complete the accompanying “Introduction to First Aid” worksheets from your workbook. Practice making a phone call for an ambulance, remember the six questions that you need to answer.