When to call EMS?

If the victim is unconscious, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number immediately.  Sometimes a conscious victim will tell you not to call an ambulance, and you may not be sure what to do.  Call for an ambulance anyway if the victim suffers from one or more of the below symptoms:

Is or becomes unconscious

Has trouble breathing or is breathing in a strange way

Has chest pain or pressure

Is bleeding severely

Has pressure or pain in the abdomen that does not go away

Is vomiting or passing blood

Has seizures, a severe headache, or slurred speech

Appears to have been poisoned

Has injuries to the head, neck, or back

Has possible broken bones

Also Call for any of these situations:

Fire or explosion

Downed electrical wires

Swiftly moving or rapidly rising water

Presence of poisonous gas

Vehicle collisions

Victims who cannot be moved easily

    How to call EMS?

The most important help that you can provide to a victim who is unconscious or has some other life-threatening emergency is to call for professional medical help.  Make the call quickly and return to the victim.  If possible, send someone else to make the call.  Be sure that you or another caller follows these four steps:

1. Call the emergency number.  The number is 9-1-1 in many communities.  In others, it is a seven-digit number. Dial 0 (the operator) if you do not know the number in the area.

2. Give the dispatcher the necessary information.  Answer any questions that he or she might ask.  Most dispatchers will ask:

• The exact location or address of the emergency. Include the name of the city or town, nearby intersections, landmarks, the building name, the floor, and the room or apartment number.

• The telephone number from which the call is being made.

• The caller's name

• What happened - for example, a motor vehicle collision, fire, or fall

• How many people are involved

• The condition of the victim(s) - for example, unconsciousness, chest pains, or severe bleeding

• What help (first aid) is being given

3. Do not hang up until the dispatcher hangs up.  The EMS dispatcher may be able to tell you how to best care for the victim.

4. Return and continue to care for the victim.

With a life-threatening emergency, the survival of a victim often depends on both professional medical help and the care you can provide.  You will have to use your best judgment, based on knowledge of your surroundings, knowledge gained from the First Aid & Safety course offered at our chapter, and other training you may have received to make the decision to call.  Generally, call FAST!