PURPOSE: A medical emergency can happen at any time.
It’s important for everyone to recognize when a medical emergency is occurring and understand our internal protocols in an event. Our members, guests, and fellow employees depend on our facilities and team members to be prepared for potentially life-threatening situations.
• Do you know what to do if there is a medical emergency in your club?
• Do you know where to quickly locate an AED* and first aid kit in your club?
• Do you know that at least one CPR/AED certified team member must be in the club at all times during operating hours?
*AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator, a small portable device used to help restore a person’s heart to a natural rhythm after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. You cannot injure a person by using an AED, as it is designed to deliver a shock only when needed.
Educating yourself prior to an emergency is the best form of preparation. Review the AED RESPONSE PROTOCOL below for detailed information on the steps to take when confronted with a medical emergency situation. This document can be found on the AEDtotalsolution.com website, it should also be printed and available for all club employees in the event of an emergency
✓ Remain Calm
✓ Dial 9-1-1 from any phone. It is important that the caller be near the victim as the 911 dispatcher may have questions about the victim’s condition.
✓ Announce a medical emergency over the club’s paging system. “Attention staff, we have a medical emergency at ______ (location of emergency). Members and guests, if there is a doctor or medical
professional in the club please report to ________ (location of emergency)”
✓ ALWAYS retrieve AED and first aid kit and bring to injured person. Even if it does not appear the person is having a cardiac event it is difficult to tell if circumstances may change.
✓ Control the crowd. If another responder is available they can control the crowd to give privacy to the victim.
✓ Check and assist the injured person until arrival of Emergency Medical Services. Depending on severity of the injury, this may include basic CPR and/or administration of the AED.
✓ Assess injured person Briefly assess patient’s respiratory status (5-10 seconds).
- If respiratory effort is absent, or patient is only gasping, begin CPR starting with compressions, at a depth of 2-2.4 inches for adults, or 1/3 the depth of the chest for children and infants.
- Continue CPR until AED arrives, alternating between 30 compressions and 2 breaths, at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.
- If desired, use compression only CPR, without performing breaths, while the AED is retrieved.
Always report incidents and injuries to your supervisor and complete a report. Do you have ideas for future safety topics? Email [email protected]