Arriving at the Scene, emergency services, post incident
Arriving at the scene
- Always try to remain calm
- Take charge of the situation
- Conduct a Scene survey
- Ensure the safety of yourself, bystanders and others
- Gather information from bystanders and the casualty
- Fully brief the emergency services
Contacting the emergency services
First aiders will either contact the emergency services themselves or instruct a bystander to do so. Contacting the emergency services at the earliest opportunity is paramount. When contacting the emergency services on either 999 or 112, it is important that the information given is clear, concise and sufficient. This can be achieved by remembering the acronym LINE
- L Location
- I Incident
- N Number of casualties
- E Extent of their injuries
Prioritising the treatment of casualties
After conducting a primary survey and contacting the emergency services, casualties should be placed in an order of priority and treated accordingly. This order is as follows:
- Breathing
- Bleeding
- Bones/burns
- Other conditions
In certain circumstances these priorities can be changed. For example, if a casualty had a broken leg and a small finger cut then the broken leg would be treated before the bleeding finger.
Clearing up after an incident
Once the incident Has been handed over to qualified medical assistance, then the clearing up process must commence. This process consists of the following:
- Ensure that all used bandages and used items such as personal protective equipment (PPE) are placed in a yellow clinical waste bag, or something similar.
- Ensure that the area where any blood or other bodily fluids have been spilt is thoroughly cleaned
- Restock the first aid -kit and replace any other equipment that may have been used during the incident.
- Record and report the incident
