Emergencies, Do YOU know what to do?

Do you know what to do in the first five minutes of an emergency? Why the first five minutes? Because that is the time period when you recognize there is an emergency, contact 9-1-1 for help and wait for the emergency responders to arrive. There are things that you can do during the time between 9-1-1 and the arrival of the emergency responders.


After you have called for assistance, the first thing you need to do is to remain calm. This can be difficult, but by your remaining calm, it will help the person in need of assistance not to panic. If you are still on the phone with 9-1-1 you can help by providing some updates on the condition of the person needing assistance on what is happening. This information can help the first responders to be ready for what they are going to encounter and could help to reduce the time needed in providing the correct treatment or in dealing with the event.

How can I be prepared for an emergency? One way to be prepared for a medical emergency is to learn some basic first aid. Know what to do if your house catches on fire. Learn basic CPR. William Walters MD, an emergency medicine specialist at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia says “people are often hesitant to get involved in an emergency situation, not because they don’t want to help, but they are worried they won’t know what to do.”

However, the most important things to remember are to stay calm and if you can’t help safely, don’t help. This would be important if for example; you were helping at the scene of a vehicle accident. You can find more safety suggestions at www.fire.ca.gov.

CAL FIRE is the largest all risk fire department in California and has been providing fire protection in San Bernardino County since 1922. CAL FIRE operates 228 state fire stations and 575 local government fire stations via contract throughout the state. More than 4,000 inmate firefighters and 7,000 permanent and seasonal firefighters respond to an average of more than 5,600 wildland fires and more than 350,000 non-wildland Fire Emergencies annually.