Once the area is secure and no harm is immediately
recognizable, it is necessary to figure out what injuries the victim has
suffered, which are the most serious, and deal with them in order of most
importance.
Check
to see if the victim is conscious. If so, ask them what hurts and what
their name is as you check for injuries. If they are conscious, do not
perform CPR.
If
they are unconscious, make sure that their airway is open and that they
are breathing. If they are not breathing, perform artificial breathing. If
they are breathing, do not perform CPR.
Check
their pulse. If there is no pulse, perform CPR. If there is a pulse, but
the victim is not breathing, perform artificial resuscitation only.
Even
if the victim is bleeding heavily, deal with breathing and pulse problems
first. Heartbeat and oxygen are the most important things to focus on.
This
may seem like an obvious pointer, but absolutely DO NOT perform CPR if the
victim has a pulse and/ or is breathing. Sometimes people get carried away
in an emergency and do what they know – whether or not it is necessary.
Be
sure to hold the victim’s head motionless while checking the airway,
breathing, and pulse. If possible, have someone else do it for you so that
you can focus on CPR as necessary.
If at
all possible, try to record what happens. Whether it’s a scrap of paper
that you scribble on out in the woods or you have someone else do it, any
information you have will help medical personnel when they arrive. You
don’t want to forget life saving details in the heat of the moment.