Emergency Action Principles - Principles For Assessing An Emergency

Principles For Assessing An Emergency

Once a primary check for danger has been undertaken, a rescuer is then likely to follow a set of principles, which are largely common sense. These assessment principles are the types of information that the emergency services will ask when summoned.

This information usually includes number of Casualties, history of what has happened and at what time, location and access to the site and what emergency services are likely to be required, or that are already on scene. There are several mnemonics which are used to help rescuers remember how to conduct this assessment, which include CHALET (Casualties, Hazards, Access, Location, Emergency Services, Type of Incident) and ETHANE (Exact Location, Type of Incident, Hazards, Access, Number of casualties, Emergency services required)

For small scale medical incidents (one or two casualties), the rescuer may also conduct a first aid assessment of the patient(s) in order to gather more information. The most widely used system is the ABC system and its variations, where the rescuer checks the basics of life on the casualty (primarily their breathing in modern protocols).

In larger incidents, of any type, most protocols teach that casualty assessment should not start until emergency services have been summoned (as multiple casualties are expected).

Accurate reporting of this important information helps emergency services dispatch appropriate resources to the incident, in good time and to the right place.