Emergency Response Tools to Stock
Emergencies happen when we least expect, and the consequences can be as detrimental as loss of lives. However, preparing adequately for emergency response can help you deal with situations that can compromise or take away lives.
Every time an emergency happens, your priorities are to (1) look out for your safety and (2) help any casualties in need of help.
Do not focus on assisting a victim and ignore your safety. Remember, looking out for yourself is equally important because casualties need help, which you can only offer while you are in good shape.
Often, the best course of action is to help them relocate to a safer area before embarking on CPR first aid.
Emergency Response: What is an Emergency
An emergency is any situation that threatens to injure or harm the people in the surrounding.
Sometimes, they are natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Other times, they are caused by faults in human-made systems or human error, e.g., fires, injuries at work, power outages, etc.
Emergencies can also be caused by disease or health conditions, as in sudden cardiac arrest, stroke, epilepsy, fainting, etc.
The proper response to an emergency depends on the type/level of risk it poses to its victims. Though bystanders can attend to some injuries, extreme situations may call for immediate first aid treatment. Nevertheless, bystanders can still play a vital role in ensuring the patient survives and recovers from the critical condition.

Emergency response tools and tips.
What is an Emergency Response Procedure?
It refers to the appropriate course of action to take if you witness or get caught in a situation that needs an immediate response.
Understanding this process is essential in responding correctly to difficult or life-threatening situations.
It’s also essential to understand the need for urgent /immediate responses when dealing with life-threatening situations. Plus, the procedure may vary based on the emergency. In plain English, the response is not always the same for all cases.
Follow these steps to respond to different emergencies

1. Read the situation
Assessing the situation is essential in making the right decision. Before taking any action, it’s crucial to check for things like:
● The safety of the scene: If the scene is safe, you can begin issuing treatment. If not, move the victim to a safer area and administer treatment.
● The severity of casualty injuries: For life-threatening situations, be sure to call 911 before embarking on first aid.
Checking for these factors upfront can increase the likelihood of an appropriate response.
2. Call 911
Calling 911 is the second most crucial step in emergency response. Dial this number as soon as you detect a life-threatening situation like excessive bleeding, breathing difficulty, lack of consciousness, etc.
This process should be short and quick because timely assistance is crucial in saving a victim’s life. Once the 911 attendant picks the call:
● State your name
● Mention your location/address
● Give a brief, yet detailed explanation of the kind of emergency
Lastly, it’s important to mention the patient’s situation. Don’t forget to state that you need immediate help because the victim is in a critical condition.
3. Move and relocate victims to safer location
If the area is unsafe, carry the victim with you or help them move to a safer location. Getting everyone out of harm’s way is essential in preventing further injuries. For example, when rescuing someone from a house fire, it’s safer to move them to another location rather than try to resuscitate them within the building.
4. Administer CPR first aid as you wait for EMS
Once you have relocated to a safer area and called 911, the next best thing is to begin attending to the victim.
If the victim is conscious, check for any cuts, burns, fractures, etc. However, if they are unconscious, try to bring them back to normalcy by resuscitating them.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency treatment procedure administered to victims of sudden cardiac arrest, drug overdose, heart attack, drowning, etc. This treatment can help keep patients alive and avoid permanent organ damage due to insufficient oxygen supply.
5. Share the casualty’s information with EMS
Because you are the first responder to the injury or accident, you must share all the casualty information with the emergency medical services (EMS). This gives them a headstart and a sense of direction when handling the patient.
The information may include stuff like:
● What happened to the casualty?
● How long since it happened
● What first aid measures have you taken?
● Is she conscious or not?
Be sure to provide accurate information, as this data helps determine the proper medical intervention.
Emergency Response Tools to Stock in Your Emergency Room
Preparing adequately for emergencies can increase your survival chances. Don’t wait until an emergency happens. Your workplace or home first-aid area should be ready with all the supplies you may need to survive and treat an injured victim.
If you have plenty of space in your basement or workplace, turn part of it into a first-aid/emergency area. A complete emergency zone goes beyond first aid supplies; we’re talking about an all-inclusive safety area with all the provisions you need to survive extreme conditions.
That being said, below are the ten most important things to have in your safety zone.
1. First-aid Kit
A first aid box is priority number one. Your kit should carry all the essentials you need to administer emergency treatment, from cuts to burns and broken bones. Remember to stock all types of bandages because you can’t tell what injury you’ll need to dress.
You can also add in methylated spirit, some painkillers, and any other prescription pills you use regularly. Lastly, stock plenty of cotton wool and PPE to stay safe from bloodborne pathogens.
2. Water
According to the Center for Disease Control, water helps control body temperature, eliminate waste, etc. Even those with a functional pipeline face floods and storms, which can compromise water safety. For your emergency room, store bottled water that you can carry anywhere you go.
You can also stock water purifiers to clean water from unknown sources.
3. Food
Storms and floods can compromise the safety of your foods. To keep on feeding amid such catastrophe, stock some canned or dried foods that can last long without going bad. Remember to store all types of foods to get the wide range of nutrients your body needs.
Lastly, you’ll need to restock your food reservoirs from time to time because unpreserved foods can decay after long storage periods.
4. Lighting
Dark conditions compromise an individual’s vision increasing the likelihood of injury.
To avoid such accidents, remember to stock some sources of light that you can wear over your head or carry around easily. This can ensure proper lighting even if a storm hits at night and tampers with your power supply.
5. A lighter
You need a source of fire such as a matchbox or lighter to prepare a campfire or fire up your grill. To stay safe even in wet conditions, carry a lighter or matchbox that performs even in wet/moist conditions.
6. Fire Extinguisher
Fire can spark up and spread so fast. To take control of such situations, keep a functional fire extinguisher in an easy-to-access location.
Placing the extinguisher in a strategic location ensures timely response and controls a fire before it worsens to life-threatening situations.
One is never enough when it comes to extinguishers. If possible, keep one in multiple locations to ensure immediate response if a fire starts.
7. AED
An automated defibrillator helps restore the heart rhythm to normal. The heart can start beating irregularly after a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest. When trying to rescue an unconscious victim, you can use an AED after issuing CPR to check and correct an irregular heartbeat.

Prepare for Emergency Response: Get CPR & First Aid Training

Emergencies can happen anytime, and most of them lead to injuries. While preparing the tools you need to deal with such situations, you should also remember to get CPR first aid training.

Registering for an online CPR certification course is an easy way to learn more about first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. You can enroll in reputable organizations like the American Academy of CPR & First Aid. This institution tailors different courses for various groups. For example, while there’s a course for everyone else, others are meant for healthcare providers.

Taking your classes remotely allows you to continue with your daily activities, saves you commuting costs, and gives you the freedom to attend classes from anywhere. Furthermore, most of these classes are affordable, yet you get comprehensive training in first aid. And if you like, you can also get bloodborne pathogen training to understand the importance of infection control when administering treatment.