Call for an ambulance if a person:
- becomes unconscious
- has chest pain or pressure
- has trouble breathing
- has no signs of breathing (no movement or response to touch or voice)
- is bleeding severely
- is vomiting blood or is bleeding from the rectum
- has fallen and may have broken bones
- has had a seizure
- has a severe headache and slurred speech
- has pressure or severe pain in the abdomen that does not go away
OR
- if moving the person could cause further injury
- if traffic or distance would cause a life-threatening delay in getting to the hospital
- if the person is too heavy for you to lift or help
Ambulance service is expensive and may not be covered by insurance. Use it when you believe there is an emergency.
In an emergency:
Step 1: Call 911.
Step 2: Care for the victim.
Also call 911 for emergencies involving fire, explosion, poisonous gas, fallen electrical wires, or other life-threatening situations.
NOTE: If the person in your care has signed a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, have it available to show the paramedics. Otherwise, they are required to initiate resuscitation (reviving the person). The order must go with the patient. The Do Not Resuscitate order must be with the patient at all times.
Two comments about this article - I think the statement about calling an ambulance if someone has a seizure is too broad. For many people with known seizure disorders/epilepsy, seizures are not always life threatening emergencies and in fact don't even always require medical attention. Sending someone by ambulance for a seizure may not be covered by insurance if there is not a medical emergency. Also, be cautious about the situation if someone has a signed DNR. Some emergency medical personnel will not honor DNR forms and may insist on doing CPR even if you have a signed document saying the person does not want to be resuscitated.