Page 26 - Participant Manual

■ Is anyone else available to help? Take note of bystanders who can be of assistance. A bystander
who was there when the emergency occurred or who knows the injured or ill person may be able to
provide valuable information about the situation or the person. Bystanders can also assist in other ways,
such as by calling 9-1-1 or the designated emergency number, waiting for EMS personnel and leading
them to the site of the emergency, getting needed items (such as an AED and first aid kit), controlling
crowds and reassuring the injured or ill person.

Check the Person

When you reach the person, you can conduct a more thorough check to determine what is wrong and what
care is needed.

If the person is awake and responsive, obtain consent and then begin to gather additional information about
the nature of the person’s illness or injury. Chapter 2 provides more detail about how to check a person who
is responsive.

If the person appears to be unresponsive, shout, using the person’s name if you know it. If there is no
response, tap the person’s shoulder (if the person is an adult or child) or the bottom of the person’s foot (if
the person is an infant) and shout again while checking for normal breathing. Check for responsiveness and
breathing for no more than 5 to 10 seconds. If the person does not respond to you in any way (such as by
moving, opening his or her eyes, or moaning) and the person is not breathing or is only gasping, the person
is unresponsive. If the person responds and is breathing normally, the person is responsive, but may not be
fully awake. Give care according to the conditions that you find and your level of knowledge and training
(see Chapter 2).
Unresponsiveness, trouble breathing and severe bleeding are all signs of a life-threatening emergency. If your
initial check of the person reveals these or any other life-threatening conditions (see Box 1-5), make sure that
someone calls 9-1-1 or the designated emergency number right away. Also have someone bring an AED and
a first aid kit, if these items are available.

Chapter 1 Before Giving Care | 18 | First Aid/CPR/AED Participant’s Manual © 2011, 2016 The American National Red Cross. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 Before Giving Care | 19 | First Aid/CPR/AED Participant’s Manual