How to Save a Life in an Emergency Situation

Can you imagine what it’s like to save a life?

Most of us will never go through the experience. However, it helps to know what to do, should the situation ever arise. If someone needed help breathing or surviving an allergic reaction, would you know what to do? To help you out we’ve created this short life-saving guide. Read on to learn how to save a life, the right way.

Helping Someone Who Can’t Breathe

First, let’s talk about how you can save a life when someone can’t breathe. If you see someone who is having trouble breathing or has passed out, the most important thing to do is call 911. Then, find a way to help keep them alive while you wait for emergency workers to arrive. If they’re not breathing, you’ll likely need to perform CPR. 

After telling someone to call 911, you’ll want to start CPR immediately. The person you’re helping will need as much oxygen as possible.

If it’s a person with long hair, gather their hair in your hand so it doesn’t get in the way while you perform CPR. With her arms placed at her sides, place one hand directly above the other on their breastbone (sternum). Press hard through both hands at once to make sure blood continues to flow to the brain and heart. You can click here to check out an in-depth CPR guide. Or you can get online CPR certification and make sure you know exactly what you are doing in emergencies.

Saving Someone Drowning

Next, let’s say you’re enjoying a barbeque around the pool. Suddenly, one of your friends who can’t swim falls in, and begins flailing around. What should you do? See if there’s someone nearby who can help you get your friend out of the pool. At the same time, another party member should call 911. 

Having someone supervise your rescue will help ensure you don’t get dragged down. Drowning people tend to panic. As a result, they might try to hold onto you, and pull you underwater. To avoid this, we suggest using a pool pole, or long object to offer to the person drowning. If this doesn’t work, you can jump in.

If you’re getting in the water, make sure that your feet are facing down towards the bottom of the pool or whatever kind of water you’re in. You can use a swimming motion with your arms while face down: this will create resistance from the water (against which you’ll have to push). This way you’ll have more power when pulling yourself towards the drowning person. Then, safely guide them up to shore and perform CPR if needed. You can also learn about heart defibrillators and get more info.

What to Do for Car Accident Injuries

Next, let’s talk about how to save a life after someone’s been in a car accident. For starters, you’ll want to secure your own safety first. If the accident caused a lot of debris, you’ll want to avoid any sharp objects that could hurt you. You’ll also want to make sure you’re not stepping on glass or other dangerous items.

Let’s say you were driving, the crash took place, and you’re perfectly okay. However, you notice one of your passengers is unconscious. What should you do? Again, calling 911 is the first step. You’ll want to follow whatever directions the 911 operator gives you. It’ll also help if you remain calm, and focus on the task at hand.

Helping an Overdose Victim

What should you do if someone you know is suffering an overdose? Perhaps they accidentally took 1 too many pain pills, or maybe the overdose was the result of an addiction. Whatever the case may be, you’ll need to act swiftly. Call emergency services, and follow their directions to a tee. 

As a general rule of thumb, helping overdose victims involves knowing what they took. If you don’t know what your friend or loved one is overdosing on, scan the scene for clues. Is there an empty pill bottle lying around? The more information you’re able to provide the emergency responders with, the better the outcome will be.

Attending to Allergic Reactions

Lastly, let’s talk about the proper protocol for helping someone who’s having an allergic reaction. For instance, let’s say you’re spending the day at the park. When suddenly you notice someone fall down after being stung by a bee. They’re having a severe allergic reaction, and need help fast. What should you do?

Call 911 ASAP. Make note of how the person is acting, and what stung them. Are they having trouble breathing? Is there a lot of swelling, or an abnormal amount of hives on their body?

If you have any medicine that could help, your friend or loved one may be so focused on their reaction that they might not be able to respond to you saying “take this” or whatever else. In this case, it’s often enough to place the pill in their mouth and make sure they swallow it. You can also inject some adrenaline in non-medical settings when someone has had a severe allergic reaction.

What should you do if someone is experiencing a food allergy? If possible, get them to the hospital right away. If not, have an ambulance come to you, since that’ll be faster. Next, take note of what they ate and when. It’ll help the hospital staff if you can provide them with any information. It might also be a good idea to ask a friend or relative to come along since hospitals are scary places.

Save a Life

There you have it—a few of the best tips that could save a life in an emergency.   Car accidents, overdoses, allergic reactions—these are all scary situations. However, if you’re prepared and know what to do, you can help ensure a positive outcome. If you don’t know how to perform CPR, learn today.

There’s a ton of free classes online, and you can probably find one at your community center too. If you’re still looking for information on other topics, check out some of our other articles.

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