The Smart Thing To Do

“First Aid, Life Saved” . I t may sound dramatic but often it is true. If you call the emergency medical services to an incident, your actions have started the “chain of survival”. You have acted to help someone you may not even know. First aid is helping, first aid is making that call, putting a Band-Aid on a small wound, controlling bleeding in large wounds, or staying with a collapsed person who needs emergency personnel. You can help yourself, your loved ones and the stranger whose life may depend on you being in the right place at the right time with the right knowledge. We would strongly advise teenagers to take a first aid training course with one of the many organizations in their locality. First aid — it’s the smart thing to do!

What is The EMS?

The Emergency Medical Services system is a network of community resources in which you play an important part. Think of the EMS system as a chain made up of several links. Each link depends on the others for success.

The system begins when a responsible person like you recognizes that an emergency exists and decides to take action. He or she calls the local emergency number for help. The EMS dispatcher answers the call and uses the information you give to determine what help is needed. A team of emergency personnel gives care at the scene and transports the victim to the hospital where emergency department staff and a variety of other medical professionals take over.

Ideally, all the links of the chain should work together to provide the best possible care to victims of injury or illness. Early arrival of emergency personnel increases the victim’s chances of surviving a life-threatening emergency. Whether or not you know first aid, calling your emergency number is the most important action you can take.

Here are some emergency phone numbers in English-speaking countries. These numbers will connect you to a dispatcher for medical services, and not the police. In some areas, however, the numbers may be the same.

• Check out the life of a Critical Care Nurse, by Matt, RN… one very exciting career!

For info about headaches and when to act on them, use the drop down menu when you get to that page. Need to know when to go to the ER ?