Copyright 1993-2001
Why did you say you’d get to the party by seven o’clock?
It’s a good thing you stopped by the convenience store now and not
later. Only a couple of things to buy. Why are all those people
standing around over there?
Oh no!
it’s the person who works there.
You leave the car and see the man lying on his back, looking dazed,
holding his head. Even though a
crowd has gathered, no one is helping him.
They are just looking at each other. He needs help from someone.
That someone could be YOU!
If placed in the above situation, would you step forward to help? "I hope I never have to," is what you are probably saying to yourself. However, given the number of injuries and sudden illnesses that occur in the United States each year, you might well have to deal with an emergency situation someday.
About 2 million people are hospitalized each year because of injuries, and injuries result in nearly 142,500 deaths each year. Infectious diseases used to cause the greatest concern about the health of children, but now, unintentional injuries cause most childhood deaths.
Injuries also cause millions of heart-stopping moments each year. In fact, unintentional injuries are the leading cause most death and disability in children and young adults. More than 70 million people the United States have cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease causes about 1 million deaths in the United States each year. That's nearly half of deaths that occur each year!
Over 500,000 Americans have strokes each year, and 15,000 Americans die each year from stroke. Each time a person is injured or experiences a sudden illness, such as a heart attack or a stroke, someone has to do something to help. You may find yourself in the position having to provide help someday.
Everyone should know what do in an emergency. You should know who to call and what care to provide. Providing care involves giving first aid until professional medical help arrives. Every one should know first aid, but even if you haven’t had any first aid training, you can still help in an emergency. The sooner medical help arrives, the better a person’s chances of surviving a life-threatening emergency.
You play a major role in making the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system work effectively. The EMS system is a network of police, fire and medical personnel, as well as other community resources.
Recognize that an emergency exists.
Decide to act.
Call the local emergency telephone number for help.
Provide care until help arrives.
Of course, steps 3 and 4 won’t happen if you do not take steps 1 and 2. By recognizing an emergency and taking action to help, you give injured or ill persons the best chance for survival.
Know your local emergency telephone number.
The rapid arrival of professional
help increases the victim’s chances of surviving a life-threatening emergency.
Are there laws to protect you when you help in an emergency situation?
Yes, most states have enacted Good Samaritan laws.
These laws give legal protection to people who provide emergency care to ill or injured persons. When citizens respond to an emergency and act as a reasonable and prudent person would under the same conditions, Good Samaritan immunity generally prevails.
This legal immunity protects you, as a rescuer, from being sued and found financially responsible for the victim's injury. For example, a reasonable and prudent person would:
Move a victim only if the victim's life was
endangered.
Ask a conscious victim for permission before giving care.
Check the victim for life-threatening emergencies before providing further care.
Summon professional help to the scene by calling the local emergency number or the
operator.
Continue
to provide care until more highly trained personnel arrive.
Good Samaritan laws were developed to encourage people to help others in emergency situations. They require that the "Good Samaritan" use common sense and a reasonable level of skill, not to exceed the scope of the individual's training in emergency situations.
They assume each person would do his or her best to save a life or prevent further injury. People are rarely sued for helping in an emergency. However, the existence of Good Samaritan laws does not mean that someone cannot sue. In rare cases, courts have ruled that these laws do not apply in cases when an individual rescuer's response was grossly or willfully negligent or reckless or when the rescuer abandoned the victim after initiating care.
If you are interested in finding out about your state's Good Samaritan laws, contact a legal professional or check with your local library.
You may realize that an emergency has occurred only if something unusual attracts your attention. For example, you may become aware of unusual noises, sights, odors, and appearances or behavior.
Noises that may signal an emergency include screaming or calls for help, breaking glass, crashing metal, or screeching tires, a change in the sound made by machinery or equipment, or sudden loud noises like those made by collapsing buildings, or falling ladders or when a person falls.
Signals of an emergency that you may see include a person lying motionless, spilled chemicals, fallen boxes, power failure, downed electrical wires, or smoke or fire.
Many odors are part of our everyday lives. For example, gasoline fumes at a gas station, the smell of chlorine at a swimming pool, and the smell of chemicals at a refinery.
However, when these are stronger than usual, there may be an emergency. Also, an unusual may mean something is wrong. Put your own safety first. Leave the area if there is an unusual or very strong odor, since fumes are poisonous. It may be difficult to tell if someone is behaving strangely or if something is wrong, especially if you don’t know the person.
Some actions leave little doubt that something is wrong. For example, if you see someone suddenly collapse or slip and fall, you have a fairly good idea that the person might need some help.
Other signals of a possible emergency might not be as easy to recognize. They include breathing difficulty, confused behavior, unusual skin color, signs of pain, or discomfort, such as clutching the chest or throat or being doubled over, or facial expressions indicating something is wrong.
Sometimes it is obvious that something is wrong; at other times it is more difficult to be sure. For example, a person having a heart attack may clutch his or her chest, begin to perspire, and have difficulty breathing. Another heart attack victim may only feel mild chest pain and not give any obvious signals of distress. The important thing is to recognize that an emergency might have occurred.
Once you recognize an emergency has occurred, you must decide whether to help and how you can best help. There are many ways you can help in an emergency.
In order to help, you must act. Whether or not you have had first aid training, being faced with an emergency will probably cause you to have mixed feelings. Besides wanting to help, you may have other feelings that make you hesitate or back away from the situation. These feelings are personal and very real. The decision to act is yours and yours alone.
Sometimes even though people recognize that what has happened is an emergency, they fail to act. There are many reasons why people don’t act in an emergency. The most common factors that influence a person’s response include:
The presence of other people
Uncertainty about the victim
The type of injury or illness
Fear of catching a disease
Fear of doing something wrong
If there are several people standing around, it might not be easy to tell if anyone is providing first aid. Always ask if you can help. Just because there is a crowd doesn’t mean someone is caring for the victim. In fact, you may be the only person there who knows first aid.
Although you may feel embarrassed about coming forward in front of other people, this should not stop you from offering help. Someone has to take action in an emergency, and it may have to be you, even though you don’t want to become the center of attention.
If others are already giving care, ask if you can help. If there are people around, but they do not appear to be helping, tell them how to help. You can ask them to call the emergency number, meet the ambulance and direct it to your location, keep the area free of onlookers and traffic, or help give care. You might send them for blankets or other supplies.
Most emergencies happen in or near the home, so you are more likely to give care to a family member or a friend than to someone you do not know. However, this isn’t always the case. There may be a time when you do not know the victim and feel uneasy about helping a stranger. Sometimes you might not be sure about taking action because of who the victim is.
For example, the victim may be
much older or much younger than you, be a different gender or race, have a
disabling condition, be of a different status at work, or be a victim of a
crime.
Sometimes
people who have been injured or become suddenly ill act strangely or may be hard
to deal with. The injury or
illness, stress, or other factors such as the effects of drugs, alcohol, or
medications may make people unpleasant or angry.
Do not take this behavior personally.
If you feel at all threatened by the victim’s behavior leave the
immediate area and call your local emergency number for help.
Another factor that affects a person’s decision to do something in an
emergency is the type of injury or illness.
An injury or illness may sometimes be unpleasant.
Blood, vomit, odors, deformed body parts or torn or burned skin upset
almost everyone. You may have to
turn away for a moment and take a few deep breaths to get control of your
feelings. Then try to provide care.
If you still cannot give first aid because of the way the injury looks,
you can ensure your safety and the safety of victims and bystanders, and you can
make sure you or someone else has called the local emergency number.
Disease transmission in a first aid situation is another issue that
concerns many people. Nowadays,
people worry about the possibility of catching a disease while giving first aid.
This is especially true as a result of the AIDS epidemic.
This concern is understandable. However,
the actual risk of catching a disease when giving first aid is far less than you
may think.
Giving first aid does not mean that you will automatically catch a
disease. In fact, it is extremely
unlikely that you will catch a disease by giving first aid.
If you do not have any cuts or sores, your skin protects you as you give
first aid. Remember that disease
transmission works both ways. You
can also pass diseases to the victim if you have any cuts or sores on your own
skin.
Remember that you are most likely to use your first aid skills to help someone you know personally, such as a family member, fiend, or coworker. In some instances, you may know this person's health status and be aware of the risk of infection.
People react differently in emergencies. Whether trained in first aid or not, some people are afraid of doing the wrong things and making matters worse. If you are not sure of what to do, call your local emergency number for professional help. The worst thing to do is nothing.
Sometimes people worry that they might be sued for giving first aid. In fact, lawsuits against people who give emergency care at a scene of an accident are highly unusual are rarely successful. Most states have enacted "Good Samaritan" laws. These laws protect people who willingly give first aid without accepting anything in return. So you can help without worrying about lawsuits.
Your decision to act in an emergency should be guided by your own values and by your knowledge of the risks that may be present. Your decision to act might not involve giving first aid. However, it should at least involve calling the local emergency number to get medical help for the victim.
You will never see the emergencies you prevent. However, emergencies can and do happen, regardless of attempts to prevent them.
If you are prepared for unforeseen emergencies, you can help ensure that care begins as soon as possible - for yourself, your family, and your fellow citizens. If you are trained in first aid, you can give help in the first few minutes of an emergency that can save a life. First aid can be the difference between life and death. Often it does make the difference between complete recovery and permanent disability.
By knowing what to do, you will be better able to manage your fears and overcome barriers to action. The most important things are to recognize that an emergency has occurred and to call the local emergency number. Then give first aid until help arrives.
We wish to thank the American Red Cross
for their assistance on this project.
Copyright
1993-2001