The Call for Help

How you're going to summon help should be another consideration. In most cases, the victim will need some type of emergency medical assistance. If you're not alone, tell someone else to go for medical assistance while you help the victim. If you are alone, in certain circumstances intervention is your priority. However, it may be best to call Emergency Medical Services(EMS) first before you intervene, especially if you witness a collapse or come across an unresponsive victim. If the victim is not breathing or is otherwise unresponsive...again call 6911 (911 if off campus) or see to it that someone else calls, then administer necessary first aid if you are qualified; this helps to cut response time and saves lives.

When you do call EMS (911), remember that there are certain things a dispatcher will need to know in order to get help to you quickly:

• The address and location of the accident (including cross streets and specific directions to the exact location of the accident).
  
  
• Your name, phone number, and the number of a nearby phone.
  
  
• A description of what happened and how many people need help. (It's also a good idea to check the victim's wrist and neck for a medical alert tag and to report what it says to the dispatcher.)
  
  
• Stay on the phone until the dispatcher tells you it's okay to hang up. Remain calm and listen carefully - the dispatcher may give you valuable first-aid instructions for aiding the victim until help arrives.