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~ EMERGENCY! ~ What Should I Do?

During any medical emergency, the most important thing is to recognize and assess the situation and then get the Emergency Response System in motion AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! DON'T wait for someone else to do it. If you have the knowledge--YOU are the one who should take the responsibility to call 911! Remember that in life-threatening situations--EVERY second counts! The information provided on this page is only meant to be a basic guideline of WHAT TO DO for the following emergencies before help arrives. Please be patient as the empty ones will be filled in soon! Asphyxiation Remove victim away from source of toxin Cardiac Arrest Heart stops beating--person is unresponsive Choking Person clutches throat, can't speak--may become unresponsive Diabetic/Insulin Shock May have altered mental status or may become unresponsive Electric Shock If victim is unresponsive--may need CPR Heart Attack Chest/arm pains, trouble breathing--may become unresponsive Hypothermia If victim is unresponsive--may need CPR Lightning Strike If victim is unresponsive--may need CPR Poisoning Call Poison Control first! Pulse How to take a pulse Seizure Call 911--protect the victim from injury Sexual Assault Call the police--go to a hospital emergency room! Shock Occurs due to varying trauma. Serious Shock can be life-threatening Stroke Disorientation, slurred speech, weakness on one side of body--may become unresponsive Water Rescue/Near Drowning Call 911--Rescue victim Before the Squad Arrives Clear a path! When You See an Ambulance Coming Pull to the side of the road! When You Are Alone and Need Help Activate the 911 response system immediately! Administering CPR to an unresponsive person can keep them alive simply by giving them the oxygen and blood flow they need to sustain their vital systems until emergency medical help arrives. Remember the general rules: Number one--REMAIN CALM. DIAL 911 Do not move the patient. If they have already hit the ground, leave them there unless it presents an immediate hazard. Moving them could injure them more. If they have sustained any superficial injuries from the fall like bleeding, put a clean gauze or cold wet compress on the wound and apply moderate pressure. If they are conscious, make them as comfortable as you can, such as placing a pillow under their head, if appropriate (i.e. no neck injury) Place a warm blanket over them, especially if it is cold or they are in shock. Loosen the top button on their shirt or necktie. Don't allow onlookers to crowd you in--your patient will need the ventilation and the EMT's need a clear path to access the victim. Do not give them food or water unless instructed by the 911 operator. Try to learn any vital medical information you can (such as diabetes) in case the victim becomes unconscious before the EMT's arrive. Never sacrifice your own safety to rescue someone else. GET HELP! Learn CPR from a certified instructor. CPR is the most worthwhile education you will ever receive!

WHAT TO DO: How to Take a Pulse A pulse is the rhythmic beats felt as the heart pumps blood through the arteries. If the heart is not pumping blood and oxygen voluntarily through the arteries, the victim needs CPR to get it moving involuntarily. Pulse rates vary between individuals (due to age and injury) however, all you need to be concerned with is whether or not a pulse exists as this is the key factor in your decision to administer CPR--or not. The pulse in an adult can be determined several ways but the two most common are: Place your fore and middle fingers firmly on the underside of the victim's wrist on the thumb side to check for pulse. Feel in several different places. If you can't feel anything, try to feel for the pulse in the neck (carotid artery) as this may be easier to find, especially if the pulse is faint. Place two fingers on the neck toward the side of the neck, close to the jaw. Again, feel several places for it. Use moderate pressure, as firm pressure may inhibit critical blood flow. In an infant age 1 and under, try to take the brachial pulse, inside of the arm just above the elbow. If you can't find it in one arm, try the other. If that fails, carefully try the carotid artery in the neck. NEVER use your thumb to take a pulse as your own pulse can be felt through your thumb and will interfere with the victim's pulse. WHAT TO DO: How to Recognize Seizure A seizure occurs when electrical activity in the brain goes out of sync and can affect a variety of motor skills. Seizures can be the result of a host of things including substance abuse, infection, trauma, high fevers (in children) and epilepsy. Not all seizures are the same and may have multiple combinations of symptoms. Typically, seizures only last from 1 to 3 minutes so they may be over by the time the EMT's arrive. Being able to describe what the person did before, during and after the seizure and how long it lasted can be extremely helpful to the EMT's. During a seizure, the victim may: Fall to the floor and convulse Drool Lose bladder control Jerk in one part of the body Have confusion, glassy stare, aimless moving Turn blueish in color Have lip smacking or chewing or fidget with clothing. What you should do: Call 911 If the victim has not hurt themselves (i.e.spinal injury), place them on the floor or ground. Loosen restrictive clothing Try to protect them from further injury by removing nearby objects that might hurt them Do not hold them still or put anything in their mouths. There is nothing you can do to stop the seizure. You can only try to protect them until help arrives. Treat any bleeding injuries they may have incurred. WHAT TO DO: If You are Sexually Assaulted According to the Women's Center of Monmouth County, it is estimated that one out of every four women have been sexually assaulted by the time they are 18--and that one in seven men will also be a victim of sexual assault by age 18. If you, or someone you know, have been raped, it is important for your mental and physical well being--to get help quickly! Call your local police department or the toll-free Rape Care Hotline at (888) 264-RAPE (264-7273). This 24-hour Hotline is operated by the Women's Center of Monmouth County and enables victims of sexual assault to obtain confidential information and access to SANE services. As soon as an incident of sexual assault is reported in Monmouth County, a team of highly trained individuals is made available to respond to the needs of the victim called SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners). This team of experts consists of a Registered Nurse with specialized training in sexual assault examinations and forensics, a Rape Care Advocate experienced in addressing the psychological and emotional concerns of victims and selected Police Officers trained to recognize and respond to victim sensitivity issues unique to the sexual assault survivor. A full SANE response is available to any victim, age 13 or older, 24-hours/day, 7-days/week, who reports a sexual assault within five days of when the incident occurred. The goal of SANE is to provide state-of-the-art physical and psychological support to survivors of sexual assault, while improving the quality of evidence and information collected for use in prosecuting rapists. For further information about the Monmouth County SANE program, contact Eileen Allen, RN, BSN, program coordinator at (732) 866-3570 or visit their web site: http://www.prosecutor.co.monmouth.nj.us WHAT TO DO: How to Recognize Shock Shock, at varying levels of severity can be the result of internal bleeding, external blood loss or trauma. If the victim is bleeding it greatly worsens the situation and untreated, can cause death. Shock is the inability of the circulatory system to supply cells with proper oxygen and nutrients and rid itself of waste products. Certain trauma causes blood vessels in one part of the body to dialate while vessels in another part of the body constrict as the heart tries to compensate for this imbalance. Since the amount of blood in the body does not change, this imbalance can wreak havoc on the internal system, especially if the victim is also bleeding. Shock can become a serious medical emergency and 911 should be called. Symptoms of Shock are: Altered mental status (victim may appear disoriented) Pale, cool, clammy skin Nausea and vomiting Dialated pupils What To Do: CALL 911! If you know there was no serious injury or bleeding, with the victim laying on their back, elevate their legs 8-12 inches Cover them with a blanket to prevent loss of body heat Always tend to any bleeding if you can WHAT TO DO: How to Recognize Stroke Because stroke attacks the brain, it will affect the victim's motor coordination. Among the signs are: Facial droop (usually on one side) Slurred or incoherent speech, confusion, difficulty in understanding Weakness in hand, arm or leg (usually on one side of the body) Vertigo, poor balance, nausea Unusually severe headache, sudden onset of severe headache Partial loss of vision, double vision, loss of hearing Victims of stroke need CPR if they become unresponsive. WHAT TO DO: What to do if Someone is Drowning You look into the ocean, lake or pool. One minute a person is there, the next minute they aren't. Prompt response to the drowning victim greatly increases their chance of survival--especially in cold water where the chance of hypothermia is present. Rescuer safety becomes critical here. If you couldn't swim before the victim went under--now is NOT the time to learn! Call out for help! CALL 911! All submersion victims have the potential of neck or spinal injury and must be treated accordingly (with expert help). If you do not suspect this, clear the airway of foreign matter and administer two rescue breaths to the unresponsive person, even if they are not all the way out of the water. Chest compressions cannot be given in water. After removing the victim from the water, access for pulse. The hypothermic victim may not appear to have a pulse since their system slows down from the cold. If you cannot feel a pulse, begin CPR. WHAT TO DO: Before the Squad Arrives KEEP CALM! You've already set the Emergency Response System in motion by dialing 911. Help usually arrives within minutes. Meanwhile, help the squad access the victim quickly and easily. Try to make the patient as comfortable as possible. Write down the patient's chief complaint, when it began and what measures might have been done to help. Write down the patient's medications and medical history. If possible, clear a path to the patient to allow easier access for the squad. At night, turn on an outside light to help identify your location for emergency responders. ALWAYS have your house number visible from the road. WHAT TO DO: While Driving and an Ambulance Approaches Keep alert to road conditions. Do not wait until the ambulance is right behind your vehicle before moving to the right. Do not suddenly apply the brakes. Look to the right, and if it is safe and clear then move your vehicle to the right. Come to complete stop until the ambulance has passed. A siren is not the only indication for you to clear a path for the ambulance. If you see an ambulance with only the emergency lights flashing, you still must move to the right and allow the emergency vehicle to pass. When pulling back out into traffic, be courteous to those who pulled over ahead of you. *The above section has been provided courtesy of the Freehold First Aid Squad. WHAT TO DO: If You are Alone and Need Emergency Care REMAIN CALM--DIAL 911. Even if you are unable to speak or have a Caller ID Privacy Block on your phone, the 911 Emergency Response System still has access to your phone number and address. Police officers and other first responders are trained to fully investigate every 911 call received. Even if your door is locked and you are unable to answer, they will still access you in any manner deemed necessary in order to get you the emergency help you need.

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