Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
What to Do Until the Ambulance Arrives
For Chest Pain - Any chest pain lasting
more than five minutes should be taken
seriously. Call 911, rest and relax,
chew an aspirin (4 baby aspirin are
easier to chew), and take your
nitroglycerin, if prescribed.
For Stroke - Stroke is to the brain as a
heart attack is to the heart; you could
call it a brain attack. The most
important point with a stroke is to
recognize its signs and symptoms, call
911 and get to the hospital. Stroke can
be treated successfully if recognized
and treated early. The signs and
symptoms are sudden weakness or
dizziness, a general weakness or
paralysis effecting one side of the
body, slurred speech and facial drooping
on one side. (For example only one
corner of the mouth turns up when a
smile is attempted.)
For Seizures - Most seizure victims have
a history of previous seizures. In most
cases the seizure will pass in less than
a minute. Protect the victim by moving
away objects that he/she might strike
against. The victim may not be breathing
during the seizure and may turn blue.
That is just part of the process and
breathing should resume as soon as the
seizure is over (do not attempt mouth to
mouth breathing during the seizure).
After the seizure, the victim will be
tired and want to sleep. Roll him/her on
the his/her side and protect his/her
dignity. He/she has probably soiled
him/her self. If the seizure doesn’t
pass in a few moments or re-occurs call
911.
For Near Drowning - Call 911 and
carefully remove the victim from the
water. If victim is unresponsive, open
the airway and look, listen and feel for
breathing if he/she is not breathing,
give two breaths and start CPR. If you
don’t know how to do CPR, learn now
before you need to use it.
For Broken Bones - The key word is
immobilized. If the person is holding
the injured limb against his/her body in
an effort to keep it from moving, let
them continue to do so. If he/she is
not, instruct him/her to do so. If
he/she is on the ground, let the ground
splint him/her. Let the professionals
move and transport the patient; they
know how to do it without causing
further harm.
For Serious Bleeding - The key words
here are direct pressure on the bleeding
site. With a clean cloth or dressing
cover the wound and apply pressure
directly to the bleeding site. Your hand
should be able to apply enough pressure
to control most bleeding or at least
slow it until help arrives. If the cloth
or dressing becomes bloody add more, but
don’t take off the bloody one. Treat for
shock.
For Burns - There are two types of
burns: minor burns and major burns.
Minor burns are small area burns treated
with water. Run cool water over the burn
area until the burning sensation stops
then cover with clean dressing and
ointment. Major burns are larger area
burns often with blisters or charring.
They are a true life-threatening
emergency. Treatment includes stopping
the burning process (cool water applied
to the burned area), covering with a
clean sheet or fabric dressing (do not
use ointments) and treat for shock.
Treat for Shock - Lay the victim down
and if practical raise their feet 12
inches. Maintain body temperature by
covering them if it is cool. If the
ground they are laying on is cool,
protect them from the cool ground also.
Remember, cool to the body is any
temperature less than 96 degrees. If it
is a hot, 115-degree day, you may need
to protect them from the hot ground.
Treat any injuries as appropriate.
