5.2 Medical Response, CPR, AED & Choking

A safe first-aid framework

Medical response begins with scene safety. Look for violence, traffic, electricity, fire, chemicals, unstable structures, needles, blood, or other hazards before approaching. Wear appropriate personal protective equipment and call for an AED or first-aid kit. Identify yourself, ask a responsive person's consent, and respect refusal unless the emergency and applicable law allow care. An unresponsive person is generally treated as needing emergency help, but guards must stay within their current training and agency policy.

Call 911 early for serious illness, significant injury, breathing difficulty, chest pain, stroke signs, altered consciousness, severe bleeding, seizure emergencies, poisoning, or uncertainty about a potentially life-threatening condition. Give exact location and arrange access. Do not diagnose, prescribe medication, give food or drink to an altered person, or exceed certification.

Unresponsive and not breathing normally

Tap and shout while checking responsiveness and normal breathing. Gasping is not normal breathing. Direct a specific person to call 911 and bring the AED; if alone, follow current CPR training and dispatcher directions. Place the person on a firm, flat surface when safely possible.

For adult hands-only CPR, place hands in the center of the chest and deliver hard, fast compressions at 100 to 120 per minute, allowing full recoil and minimizing interruption. A currently trained rescuer may provide breaths according to that training. Continue until the person shows signs of life, a trained team takes over, an AED requires a pause, the scene becomes unsafe, or the rescuer cannot continue.

Turn on the AED, expose and dry the chest as needed, attach pads as pictured, and follow spoken or visual prompts. Loudly clear everyone during rhythm analysis and shock delivery. Resume CPR promptly when directed. Do not delay AED use while trying to determine the cause of collapse.

Choking

A person who can cough or speak should be encouraged to keep coughing while being monitored. Severe choking signs include inability to speak, cough effectively, or breathe; silent attempts; color change; and the universal throat gesture. For a conscious adult or child with severe obstruction, current American Red Cross guidance uses five back blows followed by five abdominal thrusts, repeating as needed. Use chest thrusts when abdominal thrusts cannot be performed appropriately, such as for a visibly pregnant person or someone whose body size prevents encircling the abdomen. Follow current training for infants. If the person becomes unresponsive, lower safely, activate emergency response, begin CPR, and use the AED. Do not perform a blind finger sweep.

Bleeding, shock, and common emergencies

For life-threatening external bleeding, apply firm direct pressure with a dressing. Add material rather than repeatedly lifting the first dressing to inspect. A trained responder may use a commercial tourniquet for severe limb bleeding according to current course instruction, noting application time. Watch for shock: pale or clammy skin, weakness, rapid breathing, confusion, or worsening responsiveness. Keep the person from becoming chilled and await EMS; do not give food or drink.

Preserve dignity and transfer care

Control bystanders, protect privacy, and avoid photography unrelated to official documentation. Do not move a person with suspected head, neck, or spine injury unless leaving the location is necessary to escape danger or current training directs the movement. Give EMS the mechanism or symptoms, times, changes, care provided, AED actions, medication voluntarily reported, and known hazards.

Afterward, dispose of contaminated material through approved procedures, report exposure, replenish equipment, and write factual records. The exam-ready sequence is safe scene—recognize—call—care—monitor—handoff. Training must be refreshed through recognized courses; a study guide cannot substitute for hands-on certification.

Keep the site's current emergency contacts and equipment locations in the post briefing. After any response, document the equipment used and arrange prompt replacement so the next emergency does not begin with an empty kit or missing AED supplies.