Get Involved CPR/First Aid Lesson 01 Introduction & Before Giving Care Someday you may have to deal with an emergency situation. Over 40 million injury-related visits are made to emergency departments. Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults. CPR/FA Lesson 01 1 CPR/FA Lesson 01 2 Recognizing Emergencies Over 70 million people in the U.S. have cardiovascular disease. CV disease causes about 700,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. (Over 33% of all deaths annually!) About 700,000 Americans have strokes each year, and over 160,000 people will die as a result of the stroke. Your senses hearing, sight and smell may help you recognize an emergency. Emergencies are often signaled by something unusual that catches your attention. CPR/FA Lesson 01 3 CPR/FA Lesson 01 4 Unusual Sights A stopped car Broken glass Overturned pot in the kitchen Spilled medicines/pills Downed electrical wires Smoke, fire CPR/FA Lesson 01 5 Unusual Appearance or Behavior Unconscious Confused or unusual behavior Trouble breathing Clutching chest/throat Slurred speech, confusion, drowsiness Excessive sweating Uncharacteristic skin color CPR/FA Lesson 01 6 1
Unusual Noises Unusual Odors Screaming, yelling, calling for help Breaking glass, screeching tires Sudden, loud or unidentifiable sounds Unusual silence Odors stronger than usual Unrecognizable odors Inappropriate odors CPR/FA Lesson 01 7 CPR/FA Lesson 01 8 Recognizing Emergencies The following acronym is helpful in remembering the signs of possible emergency: B =Behavior A =Appearance S =Sights O =Odors N =Noises You and the Emergency Medical System Calling 911/local emergency number is the most important step you can take in an emergency. CPR/FA Lesson 01 9 CPR/FA Lesson 01 10 Your Role in the EMS System Deciding to Act Recognize that an emergency exists. Decide to act. Call 911 or your local emergency number for help. Provide care until help arrives. Common factors that influence a person s response to an emergency- Presence of other people. Type of injury/illness. Fear of contracting a disease. Fear of doing something wrong. Fear of being sued. CPR/FA Lesson 01 11 CPR/FA Lesson 01 12 2
EMS & The Chain of Survival EMS & The Chain of Survival (cont) The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system is a network of community resources. 1. Citizen Responder-recognizes that an emergency exists. 2. Call for Help-911/local emergency # 3. First Responder Care-the first trained person to come to the scene and render assistance. 4. EMT Care-a team of emergency personnel that give care at the scene, then transports the victim. 5. Hospital Care & Rehab-ER staff & professionals take over. CPR/FA Lesson 01 13 CPR/FA Lesson 01 14 Getting Permission to Give Care Getting Permission to Give Care (cont) You must have the victim s permission before giving care. You must tell the victim who you are and the training that you have. Do not give care to a conscious victim who refuses it. If your victim is a child/infant, you should obtain permission from the parent/guardian if possible. Permission is implied if the condition is life-threatening to an child/infant and a parent/guardian is not present. Permission is also implied if the victim is unconscious or unable to respond. CPR/FA Lesson 01 15 CPR/FA Lesson 01 16 Good Samaritan Laws All 50 states have enacted Good Samaritan Laws. These laws give legal protection to people who provide emergency care, and protect them from financial responsibility. When a citizen responds to an emergency and acts as a reasonable & prudent person would under the same conditions, Good Samaritan immunity generally prevails. A Good Samaritan should use common sense and a reasonable level of skill, and to provide only the type of emergency first aid/care for which they are trained. CPR/FA Lesson 01 17 CPR/FA Lesson 01 18 3
Ask a conscious victim for permission to help or provide care. Move a victim only if the victim s life is in danger. Check the victim for life-threatening conditions before providing care. Summon emergency help. Continue to provide care until more highly trained personnel arrive. CPR/FA Lesson 01 19 CPR/FA Lesson 01 20 First Aid & Disease Transmission By following basic guidelines, you can reduce disease transmission. Avoid contact with body fluids. Use protective barriers. Cover any cuts you may have. Do not touch objects soiled with blood. Wash immediately after providing care. CPR/FA Lesson 01 21 Learn the Facts About AIDS AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Once the virus enter the body, it can grow in the body for months or years. The disease is transmitted through direct contact with the blood stream. (Examples are blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk of an infected mother.) CPR/FA Lesson 01 22 Learn the Facts Be Prepared in an Emergency Prevention: your own behavior can put you at risk for being infected with HIV, HBV and HCV. Sharing needles or having unprotected sex. First Aid Precautions: always give care in ways that protect you and the victim from disease transmission. Testing: If you think you have put yourself at risk, get tested. Know your local emergency numbers, post these numbers by your phone. Keep family medical information & insurance records up to date and in a handy place. Keep a first aid kit/supplies in your home. CPR/FA Lesson 01 23 CPR/FA Lesson 01 24 4
Be Prepared in an Emergency (cont) Learn first aid & how to use an AED. Make sure the numbers on your house are easy to read. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home/apartment. Have an emergency evacuation plan for your home in case of fire, flood, etc. CPR/FA Lesson 01 25 5