Support first responders by learning basic life-saving skills

National EMS Week, which takes place from May 16 to 22, presents an annual opportunity to acknowledge the dedicated men and women who work as emergency medical service providers. It’s also an ideal time to learn how you can support first responders in an emergency.

It can take at least five to 10 minutes for first responders to arrive at the scene of an emergency, and what bystanders do to help in the interim can mean the difference between life and death. However, according to a national poll conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), a majority of adults feel unprepared to assist in a medical emergency until help arrives.

Fortunately, ACEP created Until Help Arrives, a one-hour training course designed to teach the average person basic life-saving skills and empower them to step in to help during an emergency. Through this concise, hands-on course, participants learn how to:

• Assess the level of safety at the scene of an emergency
• Communicate effectively with emergency dispatchers
• Recognize the signs of sudden cardiac arrest
• Perform compression-only CPR
• Stop severe bleeding with or without a tourniquet

For more information about how you can host or sign up for an Until Help Arrives course in your area, visit acep.org/uha.

Become an instructor
ACEP members are automatically eligible to teach the Until Help Arrives course. You can also apply to become an instructor if you’re a licensed MD, DO, RN, NP, PA, DPM paramedic, EMT, or EMR. People studying to become designated medical professionals may also qualify.