5.1. First aid
5.1.1. At the accident scene
Provision of medical care to victims with life-threatening injuries needs to start as early as possible, preferably before the arrival of paramedics. First aid has a crucial role to play; the victim's life after the incident largely depends on professional, timely interventions. It is therefore necessary to focus on a few basic principles:
► resuscitation and anti-shock measures should be initiated as early as possible and carried out to the maximum possible extent;
► improper transportation and poor handling of the victim may aggravate the shock, so they should be carried out only in the event of extreme necessity and in the most gentle way possible;
► no actions are undertaken except those aimed at eliminating complications threatening the victim's life immediately.
Inspection of the scene. First, you need to confirm if there was any incident, what exactly happened, if there are any victims, how many of them, and whether they need help. At the same time, you can rely on your own observations and information obtained from eyewitnesses. Take no further action until you have received answers to these 2 most important questions.
1. "What are the immediate threats to me?" If it is impossible to offer any help to the victim due to any risk or danger, then you should focus your efforts on calling professional rescuers, in order not to die with the victim. So, non-swimmers should not go into the water in an attempt to rescue a drowning person, nor go into a burning house if they have no appropriate skills or equipment, etc.
Danger to your safety may also stem from the risk of contamination after a contact with the victim (artificial ventilation, contact with his blood and other). Such contact should be carefully avoided. Be sure to use disposable gloves. These should always be available as part of any first-aid kit. Use plastic bags if there are no gloves, never work with bare hands. To administer artificial lung ventilation, you need to use a special device available in first-aid kits in order to avoid the risk of direct physical contact with the victim.