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Once you've called emergency medical services, then you're going to have to wait for them to arrive. So in that time, you can use that time quite wisely. Now, the first thing you can do is make sure that everyone around is ready, so if it's quite a serious accident you're having to deal with, then you can send somebody to meet the emergency services, so that they know where to come. Where we are now is on the industrial estate so you can meet someone right by the gate, so they can direct the ambulance to exactly where we are. Now, if you've used something like what3words, then great. They can come and find you. But it's always better, if you've got spare people around, send them away. The other advantage of that is they get out of your way. If you've got too many peoples just hanging around, get them to work. So you can send one person over to the gate, where we are now, one person to a road where they need to turn right. So it makes it nice and simple. You can also, in this time, use more information from the patient, get more data from them. So what you can do is ask more questions. You can go through a whole assessment cycle. You can look at what illnesses and things like that. Now depending on what you're dealing with, you wouldn't necessarily want to ask questions, but it'd be quite useful to know if he's on any medications, if he's got any ongoing medical conditions, because this information could be passed to emergency services when they do arrive. If we were outside this setting, we are in a home and night time, turn all the lights on, so that the ambulance service can easily see where your house is. Lock your dogs away. Make sure the scene is safe and clear for them, so they can come straight in. If you're in a home setting also, get someone to meet them out in the road and direct them into the building. So it just makes... Anything you can find to make it easier for the emergency services to access the building or where you are. So in this example here, if you're dealing with something like a car accident, I want to make sure that the scene is safe the whole time. Maybe if there's spare people, they can keep an eye out, always looking at the point, "Well, how... " This is just an example of a minor incident, but if somebody did catch fire or there was an increased risk, do I want to remove him from the car? It just depends where you are and what the accident is. If it's a minor injury and he can walk and there's nothing wrong, then we can get him on a motorway, for example, over the crash barrier, so he's in a much safer position. Whereas here in a car park, he's probably best left where he is. Also, it's a reasonably cold day today, so it may be a good idea to keep him warm. Now if you've got blankets, great. If not, have a look or ask in the vehicle, there may well be blankets available that we can use here. The other thing is, does he want you to call anybody? If he's been hit in an accident, his phone might be broken or on the floor somewhere, but you might need to make a call for him, so if he's expected home, his family know he's been involved in an accident, and they can talk. And you can always put the phone on speaker phone, or you can hand him the phone. But just remember their privacy as well, because if you are making that call, or they are making that call, you don't really... If it's something very personal, they are going to get upset, give them a bit of space, but you can also move people out the way or just keep an eye on him, but let him make the phone call, and then help out where you can. So the whole time you're dealing with any emergency service waiting time, you want to make sure that you are patrolling the scene here, looking for any risks, thinking about how the emergency services can arrive, thinking about, "What if something else goes wrong?" And also, what else can you do to make the patient feel comfortable? And also, making sure that when the emergency services do arrive, you can give them a very good, easy handover with no waffle, just pure facts, so they've got the information they need, and then they can hand over. And once they do come in, then just remember, then, they may need your help. So for example, something like this is really straightforward, but if you were doing something like CPR, they won't want you to stop. They'll want you to carry on until they can take over. And sometimes there's only one person arrives. They may need your help. So when they get here, tell them roughly what you are, you're a first aider, and you can give them information and say, "Do you need any help? Just tell me what you want and I'll help you out."
What to Do While Waiting for EMS
Emergency Preparedness
Primary Concern: Patient's well-being should be your top priority while waiting for EMS.
Bystander Assistance: Consider involving nearby bystanders who may be able to provide help.
Effective Communication
Phone Information: Provide detailed information over the phone to EMS, helping them anticipate the situation.
Accessibility: Identify any obstacles like obstructive cars or movable items and address them safely.
Bystander Support
Assistance Seekers: Ask bystanders to assist by locating and guiding the ambulance to your location.
Home Safety: Ensure pets are secured and illuminate your home during nighttime emergencies for better visibility.
Patient's Medical Details
Medications and Conditions: Inquire about the patient's medications and medical conditions to relay to EMS.
Doctor's Information: Collect the patient's doctor's details and check if they are currently under hospital care.
Workplace Awareness
Alert Reception: Inform reception and relevant personnel at the workplace about the accident and EMS arrival.
Preventing Delays: Avoid delays in EMS arrival by ensuring everyone is aware of the situation.
Stay Connected
Mobile Availability: Keep your mobile phone with you to ensure EMS can reach you at any time.