What should you check for before you respond to an emergency situation

It’s something none of us like to think about when heading abroad. Unfortunately, the fact is that accidents and emergency situations can – without warning – arise. What’s most important in an emergency is your safety – so ensure you have a plan and are prepared for the worst.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

General tips on staying safe
Assess the situation
Send for help
House fires
Make use of helpful support apps (with in-person support)
Emergency Response – Finding the Individual
CPR Emergency Response
AED Emergency Response

So, what key actions should you take if you find yourself in, or witness an emergency situation in Australia?

General tips on staying safe

Assess the situation

If you’re in an emergency, try to remain calm. Start by checking that the surrounding area is safe from harm’s way. If there is any immediate threat, it’s important to protect yourself first before trying to help others.

Respond

If possible, remove yourself and others from any immediate threat. Do not move an injured person unless they are in immediate danger or require first aid. Check the injured person for a response (ask their name, or gently squeeze their shoulder).

Send for help

Contact the relevant emergency services. Follow instructions and wait for an emergency response. If able, call for help from those around you or direct someone to send for help.

Reach out

Should you need extra support after calling the relevant emergency services, organisations such as your health care provider may be available to help you. Contact them to see what support services are available to you as a member.

Understanding what type of help is available

Triple Zero (000) is Australia’s emergency call service. It is free to call from any landline, mobile phone or pay phone and is the fastest way of getting help in an emergency.

However, emergency services are for emergencies only. You should never call an ambulance over something like a simple cold, cough, sore throat, rash, sunburn or non-life-threatening condition that can be easily looked at by your local GP. Not only will you hold up other people in the emergency room, but it is a misconception that going to a hospital will get you seen to quicker.

GPs are general practitioners, doctors who can treat a wide variety of medical conditions and offer you diagnoses, treatment, prescriptions for medicine or referrals to specialists for more serious (but non-urgent) injuries or conditions.

For non-urgent issues and non life-threatening conditions, consult GPs in your local community.

Remember – Hospitals are only for emergencies!

You should call emergency services or head to a hospital in cases of life-threatening injuries. These may include:

chest pain or chest tightness
sudden onset of weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg
breathing difficulties
unconsciousness
uncontrollable bleeding
sudden collapse or unexplained fall
unexplained fitting in adults
injury from a major car accident
falling from a great height
serious assault including stabbing or shooting
severe burns, particularly in young children
infants that are fitting or have an ongoing fever

Other types of emergencies

Some situations are more serious and may require the police or a fire brigade.

House fires

It is something so simple, that people do every day, but did you know that the majority of house-fires happen during cooking? There are ways you can make your kitchen safer by:

Ensuring your smoke alarm is working.
Checking for faulty appliances.
Keeping the area around your stove or oven clear.
Avoiding hanging tea-towels
Stay aware – ‘keep looking when cooking‘.

In the event of a serious house fire:

Get out – leave the dangerous area immediately
Stay out – never go back inside a burning property
Call Triple Zero (OOO) and ask for Fire
Calmly, provide incident details and address/location of the emergency
Stay on the phone and follow instructions until the fire brigade arrives

Bushfires

Australia is famously regarded for its beautiful beaches, bushland and sunny, summery weather. However, there are times particularly in summer during which temperatures in Australia can soar.

In the event of a bushfire:
It’s best to formulate and follow a Bushfire Survival Plan (download the RSF Guide here). If you don’t have a Bushfire Plan, now is the time to make one! With fires, leaving early is always your safest option. See the Australian Emergency and Disaster Assistance page for further information on local emergency services dealing with fire and natural disasters.

Accidents

In the event of a serious accident:

Remember and follow the acronym ‘DRS ABCD’ (sounds like: doctors abcd).

Danger – make sure you are safe and not in any immediate danger.
Respond – check for any injured or unconscious individuals. Talk and touch – ask the injured person for their name, or gently squeeze their arm. Do not move an injured person, unless they require first aid or are in immediate danger. Keep the injured person as still as possible.
Send for help – immediately call Triple Zero (OOO) or 112 and follow instructions.
Airway – open the injured person’s mouth and check that the airway is clean, with nothing obstructing the airway. Gently tilt their head back to allow more airflow.
Breathing -listen, feel and watch the chest, checking for breathing. If the injured person is not breathing, go straight to CPR.
CPR – start CPR (for details see the NSW Ambulance CPR chart).
Defibrillator – Attach defibrillator and follow prompts.

Stay informed about emergency services in your community

For an updated list of Emergency Services Organisations (ESOs) available, check out the Triple Zero list of ESO websites here and stay connected with emergency service social media pages.

If you need to contact emergency services

When calling Triple Zero (000):

Ask for: Ambulance, Police or Fire
Speaking clearly and calmly, give relevant details of the incident
State the exact address or location of the emergency
Stay on the phone and await instruction

On a mobile phone, you can also reach emergency services by dialling the number: 112
If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, call 106 to make a Text Emergency Call

If you need a translator:

Call Triple Zero (000)
Ask for: Ambulance, Police or Fire
Ask for: a translator to be organised
Stay on the phone and await instruction
Remember – Australia does not use 911 (US, Canada).

Make use of helpful support apps (with in-person support)

The Sonder Australia app is a fantastic way to stay safe and informed while you’re studying in Australia. It provides on-demand 24/7 support wherever and whenever you need help. At the touch of a button the app will immediately connect you with Sonder’s national support network and if needed an experienced professional can be sent to your location to assist you in-person.

You can also ask Sonder to monitor your safety when traveling or going somewhere new, through the “Walk with Me” and “Check in” features. Sonder also sends you alerts to check on your welfare when there is a public safety incident near your location. Used together, these features are a great way to give you and your family peace of mind while you explore Australia.

Knowing how to do first aid and CPR is an important skill to have in an emergency situation. Of course, you hope that it should never come to that point, but preparation is key.

There are certain steps you should take between finding the person and using an AED to save their life. With all of the information out there on the actions you should take, it can be overwhelming. Thankfully, the reason we get certificated is so that we do know what to do when the time comes. Keeping yourself up to date on the latest and most effective efforts is important when jumping in to save someone’s life. No matter how scary it may be, remember that simply stepping up to assist has increased that person’s chance of survival significantly. Even more so if you use an AED!

Reduce your stress – Here are step-by-step instructions so you are knowledgeable if the time should come!

Emergency Response – Finding the Individual

DANGER: Search for any dangers that may affect you! It is important that before rushing in you ensure that the area is safe for yourself.
RESPONSE: Is the person able to respond? If there is no immediate response, use your fingers to tap on their collar bone to see if you get a response and yell “Are you okay?” or “Can you hear me?”. If you get a response that is a good sign! If not, continue…
AIRWAYS: If the victim is unconscious it is crucial that you check to make sure their airway is open. First check their mouth. They may have choked on something that you can easily remove. If there is nothing in their mouth, gently tilt their head back and lift their chin. This will allow open the person’s airway.
BREATHING: Check to see if the person is breathing at all. Lean over the person and put your ear to their mouth while facing their chest. Watch for 5seconds. If you can see their chest rise and fall that is a good sign. If you do not see/feel anything it means air is not getting to their brain and the time is ticking.
CALL 911: Call for help! Instruct someone nearby to call 911 while you begin CPR. If you are the only one, call 911 and put them on speakerphone so you can begin CPR while explaining to them what happened.

CPR Emergency Response

COMPRESSIONS: Begin compressions right away. For compressions, place one hand on top of the other, interlacing the fingers directly between the person’s nipples. The depth of each compression needs to be 1 ½ to 2 inches deep. Don’t know how fast to go? The most common beat to do compressions to is the song Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. Complete 100 compressions and then move to breaths.
BREATHS: For breaths, mouth-to-mouth is the ideal option – pinch the victims nose with one hand and tilt their chin up with another – give two breaths. If the chest does not rise – readjust the chin to open the airway further. If it does not rise for a second breath, their airway is blocked – check their mouth again for any sign of a foreign object.

With current research, if you are concerned about contracting disease from the person, studies suggest a compression only option. If available you may also use a barrier device to give the breaths – we suggest purchasing a small barrier device for your keychain.

REPEAT UNTIL THE PERSON SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE OR A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL OR AN AED ARRIVES.

AED Emergency Response

Open: Open the AED and turn it on as soon as you receive it (even at the very beginning)!
Apply Pads to Persons Bare Chest: Once turned on, take the pads in the AED kit and remove the sticker covers. Place them on the victim. The placement is illustrated on each pad (one just above the person right breast and one around the ribcage of the person’s left side).
Analyzing: Wait for the machine to instruct you – it will assess the person’s heart rate and determine whether you need to administer a shock.
Shock Advised: If a shock is suggested, ensure that everyone is far away from contact with the person. This may be especially important if loved ones are holding on to or touching the person.
Stay Clear of Patient: Press the button to administer the shock when everyone is clear.
Shock Advised/Continue CPR: The machine will assess if you should administer another shock or if you should continue with compressions. Wait for the instructions and continue to follow them until help can arrive.

Reviewing these steps ensure you feel prepared and confident to know what to do next. It is always vital to call 911 in any situation so a skilled professional can come and help (the person will need to go to the hospital even if revived before the ambulance gets there). If you are not alone, get help from those around you. CPR can be an exhausting task and you may need to switch out with someone. The most important thing you can do is to take initiative and be decisive.

The fact that you are there helping someone has already increased their chances of survival. Emergency response with the use of an AED their chance of survival has skyrocketed. Do your best and know that the fact that you responded to an emergency is the first step in the right direction. If the location you are in does not have an AED, contact us and let us know. If they purchase, you will get a $100 referral fee.

You know you need an AED for your location, but will the device you purchase have everything you need to save a life? Will it have the accessories necessary to help individuals of all ages? Will it come in a protective case? Take a look at what comes with an AED!