Could our stereotypes of a First Aider be impacting our ability to respond authentically and effectively in an emergency?
What characteristics come to mind when you think of a ‘First Aider’?
What do you think the most important skills and attributes are?
Whilst there may be circumstances where you are the only First Aider, the provision of First Aid support is often a team effort. The team may be comprised of people that you know (e.g. family members, friends or colleagues), or people you have never met before (e.g. whoever else happens to be passing by and offers to help).
To further understand how different people might be able to contribute to the ‘First Aid team’, we will apply the ‘Belbin team roles’ model to a First Aid context.
The Belbin team model was developed by Dr Meredith Belbin as a way of rethinking the structure of an effective team. There are nine different clusters of behaviours, each being equally important to the success of the team. Most people will have a preference for two or three roles and every team will have a unique combination of skills.
Thinking Skills
Plant – Tends to be highly creative and good at solving problems in unconventional ways.
According to the British Red Cross, the more people who are present in a first aid emergency, the less likely an individual is to take action and help. This is known as the ‘Bystander Effect‘. Being the first person to step forwards to help in an emergency can plant this idea and encourage others to step forwards too.
Which groups in society do you think are most likely to be overlooked in an emergency?
How else can a ‘Plant’ help in an emergency?
Sometimes, a First Aid scenario will require thinking outside of the box e.g. I don’t have access to a First Aid kit so what can I use to stop the bleeding whilst waiting for help to arrive? ‘Remote First Aid’ training may be appropriate for you if you work in an environment where you are more likely to need to think outside of the box due to context or location.
Monitor Evaluator – Provides a logical eye, making impartial judgements where required and weighs up the team’s options in a dispassionate way.
Assessing an emergency situation for danger, monitoring a casualty’s vital signs and evaluating whether there have been any significant changes are key First Aid skills. Whilst waiting for help to arrive it is vital to keep a close eye on the casualty. A 999 call operator will be able to provide you with guidance on how to monitor a casualty, if you can’t recall your training during an emergency.
Do you know what vital signs you should monitor in a serious emergency?
[Content warning – article contains graphic images] Big Sick or Little Sick – A rapid approach to casualty assessment and critical decision making | REAL First Aid
Specialist – Brings in-depth knowledge of a key area to the team.
A 999 call handler will be able to provide specialist advice and where appropriate arrange for other specialists including First Responders*, paramedics to attend the emergency. In serious emergencies, make calling 999 a priority to ensure you get the specialist help you need as soon as possible. *A first responder is a person whose job entails being the first on the scene of an emergency, such as a firefighter or police officer.
Can you think of any situations where a casualty may be a ‘specialist’?
Casualties with certain conditions may already have an emergency action plan devised with a specialist. It is especially important that those in caring professions or relationships are familiar with such plans. It can also be useful to have prior knowledge of these plans for people we see on a regular basis such as flatmates or colleagues.
A diabetic casualty having a low blood sugar emergency may ask you to get their ‘hypo kit’, a sugary drink or snack to help restore their sugar levels. They may also want to measure their glucose levels, have a substantial meal and take prescribed medication i.e. insulin afterwards.
Casualties with asthma may have a plan for what to do in the case of an asthma attack, and when it might be necessary to call for help.
Casualties suffering with mental health challenges may have a specified person to call in an emergency.
How useful are medical professionals in an out-of-hospital emergency?
Sometimes, there may be a medical professional present at an emergency, but do bear in mind that a First Aid environment can be a very different context from a healthcare environment. Whilst medical professionals may have medical expertise and life support training, do remember that they are still human and may also be impacted by the emotional trauma of an accident/emergency outside of their working context.
People skills
Co-ordinator – Needed to focus on the team’s objectives, draw out team members and delegate work appropriately.
Without co-ordination, First Aid emergencies can quickly become chaotic. There may be multiple things that need doing in quick succession; calling an ambulance, assessing multiple casualties, getting first aid resources, providing first aid care and monitoring casualties. The appropriate delegation of tasks will take into account the competency and condition of helpers, for example, a ‘walking wounded’ survivor of an accident may be frozen in a state of shock and unable to complete complicated tasks, especially if they have not been trained in First Aid.
What would you do if there were multiple casualties?
Triage: Are they Walking? Are they Breathing? Is it Normal?
What role do 999 play in co-ordinating emergency services?
A 999 call agent will ask a series of questions to ascertain how serious the emergency is and whether to send a First Responder, Ambulance and/or other Emergency Service professionals. i.e. where there has been a crash, the Fire Service may be needed to help people out of vehicles. Depending on the context, there may also be other specialist services involved in coordinating a rescue such as Coastguards or Mountain Rescue.
Resource Investigator – Uses their inquisitive nature to find ideas to bring back to the team.
Quickly investigating local FirstAid resources e.g. finding the nearest First Aid kit, AED, sugar (diabetic low sugar emergency), isotonic sports drink (heat exhaustion), place of shelter (hypothermia). Mobile phones can be an excellent resource during an emergency; not only can you use them to call 999, but you can access emergency first aid guidance via apps or the internet, precise locations using ‘What 3 Words’/maps and translation/transcription communication channels, where necessary. Don’t forget that you can use any smartphone to call 999, without needing a password.
What resources could you use if there is no First Aid kit available?
How can doing a risk assessment help us to prepare for emergencies?
Doing a Risk Assessment to identify what resources could be relevant for a particular activity before an emergency is always sensible. For example, I have an ‘Emergency Grab Bag’ in my car containing a comprehensive First Aid kit, a warm waterproof jacket, a high visibility vest and emergency warning triangle.
Teamworker – Helps the team to gel, using their versatility to identify work required and complete it on behalf of the team
Most First Aid training makes the assumption that you, the First Aider, will be the first on the scene and that you will delegate passers-by the job of calling an ambulance, getting an AED etc. However, these tasks are not actually going to be done unless you have a teamworker. You’re not always going to be the first on the scene either. If the key ‘First Aid’ tasks are already in good hands, a team worker can look for other ways to assist, for example, redirecting traffic, screening a casualty from onlookers, providing psychological first aid for the ‘walking wounded’.
Including conscious casulaties in the First Aid team.
It’s important to treat a conscious casualty as part of the team too. For example, they might be the expert in their medical condition! Engaging with a casualty on their level is important; a good way of developing rapport is to exchange names, using their name calmly and frequently and providing reassurance.
What would you need to know if you were the second first aider to arrive?
Communication is really important i.e. what has been done already and what still needs doing?
Action Skills
Completer Finisher – Most effectively used at the end of tasks to polish and scrutinise the work for errors, subjecting it to the highest standards of quality control.
Quality control – are other First Aiders providing support correctly and acting rationally? (recognising that others might not be due to fight, flight, freeze response)
Conferring and second opinions
Perfectionism may not be ideal
Completer-finisher i.e. ambulance, hand-over
Ironically, I am not a completer finisher – would anyone like to finish writing this article?
Shaper – Provides the necessary drive to ensure that the team keeps moving and does not lose focus or momentum.
999 guidance
First on scene / experienced
Assertiveness i.e. ‘don’t get up yet’, I strongly recommend going to hospital for a check-up
Implementer – Needed to plan a workable strategy and carry it out as efficiently as possible.
Good news – most of the work has been done for you to plan workable strategies: DR ABC, FACST, RISE: acronyms and efficiency. Your job is to recall and implement the strategies efficiently, adapting to the situation.
999 call / app for reminders of emergency actions
Why acronyms are used & their limitations in an emergency context.
Leave a Reply