Emergency Medical Training Classes in Sacramento, CA
Do you know what to do in an Emergency?
Emergency Medical Training Classes in Sacramento, CA
Most of us live our lives checking the boxes that make up our daily routine. Some of us may have more excitement than others, but day in and day out we get up, go to work, and maybe hit the grocery store on our way home at the end of the day.
We may find ourselves in a restaurant for a nice dinner or even shopping at the mall. Perhaps we are at our kids sporting events cheering them on or at the gym getting some exercise.
No matter where we are, emergencies can strike at any time. Whether an emergency directly affects us or somebody else, do you know what to do? As a Firefighter/Paramedic, take it from me, anything goes.
My whole job much like most that work in HealthCare is based on what-ifs. That being the case, in no way will this article cover every single emergency you may encounter, but it will provide you with a couple of moves to help resolve the emergency.
First and foremost, you should remember three (3) things:
- No matter what, ENSURE THE SCENE IS SAFE. You DO NOT want to compromise your safety (or anybody elses) in any circumstance.
- Call for HELP (typically calling 911)
- Ask if you can help. Do Not assume that somebody wants your help, you must gain a persons permission before helping.
Medical/Injury Emergencies
If you are a trained HealthCare Provider you will likely have more focus and understanding of what is happening, but if you are not trained in HealthCare, all of this stuff can be scary.
Whether a person is complaining of Chest Pain, Shortness of Breath or any other medical condition or Injury that is not normal for them, your ability to recognize this change and call for help (911) is key.
What Can You Do To Help?
- Offer Support until Help arrives
- Document what you see (When did the issue start, is the person sweaty or short of breath, etc) Knowing what time an event started is crucial.
- Assuming the person granted you permission to help, look for a necklace or bracelet that may tell you about their medical history or medications they take. If they can answer, ask them about history
- Delegate somebody nearby to go outside and guide the Fire Department and Paramedics to your location. This will prevent any delays and get help to your side faster. As the AHA says, “Time is Muscle”.
- Provide all the information you collected to the Fire Department or Paramedics
To this point, we have discussed the basic recognition of an emergency and calling for help. Again, there are many potential emergencies one might encounter while going about their day. This is why I would encourage you to take an American Heart Association HeartSaver First Aid CPR AED Class.
You will not only learn about different Medical and Injury Emergencies, but you will also learn how to recognize someone in Cardiac Arrest and administer CPR to an Adult, Child, and Infant. You will also learn how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and recognize and treat someone that is Choking.
It is important to understand, and this should go without saying, under no circumstance should any sensitive information you learned about somebody be shared with anybody other than the Fire Department, Paramedics, or your Supervisor if this incident occurred in the WorkPlace.
DO NOT share your experience on Social Media, or talk about the details of your involvement or person condition with others as this is a potential violation of their privacy. You will learn more about that while taking the CPR Class mentioned above.
Successful Completion of this class will not only arm you with the tools necessary to bring calmness and direction to a potentially chaotic situation, but also provide you with confidence to help a fellow person in need.
