A lot of us are not equipped for emergency situations and are unable to help due to lack of knowledge of first aid basics or supplies. We tend to feel helpless in certain situation and if not completely flustered about what to do in certain situations. The answer to being prepared is having a good understanding of the situation. Have a little knowledge of the illness or injury and know the basic standard procedures for them. You do not need to have first aid training or an EMT certification to help. Knowing basic procedures for emergency situations can also help you become more equipped in life. To help you get the gist of treatment or management during emergency situations. We’ve compiled a few of the most common ones and what you need to do to handle the situation. Read on the find out more.
Stay Calm
No matter if the situation is happening to you or to someone else, it is vital for you to stay calm. There has been a lot of situations where the incidents become a lot worse due to the actions of panicking Samaritans. There are even cases where the people that helped made the situation a lot worse. If you are not able to be calm, it is better not to inject yourself in the situation and find someone that could. Make sure that you are not putting anybody in jeopardy. Even when talking to emergency personnel’s try your best to calmly explain the situation. This can make treatment a lot faster.
Chest Pain
Chest pain can be caused by different illness, but when it comes to emergencies or sudden chest pain always assume that it is a heart attack. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. People as young as 16 can get a heart attack. The first thing you have to do is call emergency services and check their breathing and pulse. You can check this by the movement in their chest. The air coming from either the nose or mouth. You can check the pulse by checking the wrist or the neck. If they are not breathing or has no pulse perform CPR. It can be daunting if you’ve never tried it before, but you can save a life doing this. Emergency hot lines can help guide you to perform CPR. Do not be afraid and follow their instructions properly.
Fainting or Sudden Dizziness
If you are somewhere crowded or anywhere in public and experience sudden dizziness or weakness, stop and tell the nearest person. If someone tells you that they suddenly feel ill, dizzy or suddenly faints call 911. Situations like this will need medical attention since there many causes for these symptoms. It can be caused by fatigue, heart conditions, low blood sugar, dehydration, heat related, pregnancy and so on. If you know that you have any of these conditions inform them immediately. If you are helping someone out and ask them if they have any health problems. For example, people with low blood sugar will require something sugary to reduce dizziness and weakness. When helping someone that is feeling weak talk to them and keep them conscious. Remove them in hot areas and place them somewhere they could be comfortable.
Bleeding
If someone suddenly gets cut, apply some pressure on the wound to lessen bleeding. Talk to the person and tell them to be calm. If you think that the wound will require stitching take him or her to the emergency room as soon as possible. If it is just small wound, disinfect the wound and cover it up. Areas that tend to bleed a lot are the fingers, toes and scalp. So this area will tend to bleed a lot more.
Choking
If someone suddenly chokes on their food or any object and starts to cough or unable to breathe, stay calm. If that person is still able to cough there is still a passage for air. Do not perform the Heimlich since it can make it worse – also avoid hitting them in the back. If that person is unable to make a sound or is turning red, do the Heimlich maneuver.
Seizures
Symptoms of seizures can vary. Some people my experience erratic movements, while some just fall down. This can happen to children and adults. Any type of seizure will require paramedics. Call them as soon as possible. When they fall or have erratic movements do not put anything in their mouth and try to prevent their head from hitting anything. Also take note how long the seizure last.
People are often become bystanders during emergency situations. It is not that people do not want to help, but they are more worried that they might do something wrong or have completely no idea to handle the situation. Emergencies can happen anywhere – from your home, at work, at school, at the bank and so on. Knowing some of the basic procedures can help you with handling these situations. Now, if there is an emergency situation, how will you react? An important tip is to be calm throughout the situation, may you be the one handling the emergency or having it.
