Professional Documents
Culture Documents
If someone appears to have been electrocuted, are they clear of the source of
electricity ?
If the injured person is in a damaged vehicle, is there a risk of it catching fire or
moving unpredictably ?
If a sports person has fallen in rugged terrain e.g. skiing or mountain biking, is he
or she on a dangerous slope or otherwise at risk of falling further so sustaining
more injuries or complicating existing injuries ?
Can immediate steps be taken to minimise on-going risks e.g. by stopping play
(if on a sports field) ?
Speak to you
Hear your voice
Move (at all) e.g. open and close his/her eyes
Respond to being touched
If the casualty is conscious and able to talk it may be possible to ask about the
situation, e.g. if he or she has any pain, what happened, and so on. In that
case the remaining steps ABC would not be necessary because someone who
can talk can also breathe etc.. Depending on the situation he or she may, or
may not, require medical attention. For example, someone who had fallen
asleep on a park bench so might have appeared to be unconscious - yet awoke
easily when spoken to, may not need any help.
Airway If a casualty does not respond and so appears to be unconscious, check if his
or her airway is clear i.e. that his/her throat is not blocked (which could prevent
him/her from breathing).
Blockages in the throat area could be due to:
Swallowed tongue
Food or vomit
Objects e.g. mouth guard (if he/she was using one for protection), or false teeth
While help is on the way continue with the rest of the DRABC procedure.
The next steps / techniques should be followed by people who are competent
to perform them - which usually means people who have completed
appropriate training in First Aid and any other necessary skills.
If you don't have these skills and have never learned First Aid, now is the
time to look-up the current advice given by organizations such as the Red
Cross, St John's Ambulance or your local First Aid Charity. Also consider
doing a First Aid course yourself because you never know when your help
might be needed.
If the casualty is not breathing even though his/her airway is clear, a trained
First Aider *might attempt to "breath for" the casualty by blowing air into his/her
mouth using a technique called "mouth-to-mouth ventilation" or "mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation".
However, guidelines and official First Aid advice changes from time to time.
Some introductory First Aid courses no-longer teach lay-people (i.e. non-
medics) to find and monitor a casualty's pulse*. This is because some people
might find it difficult to develop the necessary skill with just the small amount of
training and time for practise on a short First Aid course, so might lose
confidence and valuable time in an emergency situation. People who do have
the skills to quickly find and check a casualty's pulse are not discouraged from
doing so.
One good place to check for a pulse is at the carotid artery in the neck.
If the casualty does not have a pulse (i.e. blood circulation), first aiders,
paramedics, and other qualified personnel may begin external chest
compressions (which involves applying pressure to the correct part of the
chest at appropriate regular intervals - see the videos on the page about CPR).