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Whether on a landline or cell phone, when you call 911, be ready to provide the following information:

• Your name and the phone number from which you are calling. This allows dispatch to call you back if you get disconnected

• The victim’s location, Give the address, names of intersecting streets or other landmarks

• Describe the nature of the emergency, e.g., someone fell off a ladder

• Describe the victim’s condition, e.g., their head is bleeding, and identify any additional persons needing help

• Do not hang up the phone unless instructed to do so by the dispatcher

Emergency numbers:

North America

Central America and the Caribbean

South America

Asia

Europe

Oceania

Africa

Sizing Up a Scene

When you come upon the scene of an emergency, size it up:

• Look for hazards to you, the victim or bystanders

• Look for the cause or mechanism of the injury or illness

• Check for additional victims

Call 911 if any of the following symptoms are present:

• Fainting

• Chest of abdominal pain or pressure

• Sudden dizziness, weakness, or change in vision

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Sudden severe pain anywhere in the body

• Suicidal or homicidal feelings

• Bleeding that does not stop after 10 to 15 minutes of pressure

• Problems with movement or sensation following an injury

• Hallucinations and clouding of thoughts

• Stiff neck in association with a fever or headache

• Bulging or abnormally depressed fontanel (soft spot) in infants

• Stupor or dazed behavior accompanying a high fever

• Unequal pupil size, loss of consciousness, blindness, staggering, or repeated vomiting after a head injury

• Spinal injuries

• Severe burns

• Poisoning

• Drug overdose

• Bloody vomiting or diarrhea

• Bleeding that pulsates or does not stop after 5 minutes of pressure

• Head injury that results in altered consciousness or vomiting

• Severe headache

• Severe of persistent vomiting

• A gaping wound with edges that do not come together

• Cuts to the face or hand

• Puncture wounds

• Foreign bodies, such as glass or metal in a wound

• Most animal and all human bites

First Aid Kit

A well-stocked first-aid kit can help you respond to common injuries and emergencies. Keep one first-aid kit in your home, and one in your car. Store kits in an easy-to-retrieve location that is out of the reach of young children.

You can purchase first-aid kits at drugstores, hardware stores or army/navy surplus stores, or, you can assemble your own. Contents of a first-aid kit should include:

• Adhesive tape

• Aluminum finger splints

• Antibiotic ointment

• Antiseptic solution or towelettes

• Bandages, including a roll of elastic wrap (Ace, Coban, others) and bandage strips (Band-Aid, Curad, others) in assorted sizes

• Instant cold packs

• Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs

• Disposable latex or synthetic gloves, at least two pair

• Gauze pads and roller gauze in assorted sizes

• Eye goggles

• First-aid manual

• Petroleum jelly or other lubricant

• Plastic bags for the disposal of contaminated materials

• Safety pins in assorted sizes

• Save-A-Tooth storage device containing salt solution and a travel case

• Scissors, tweezers and a needle

• Soap or instant hand sanitizer

• Sterile eyewash, such as a saline solution

• Thermometer

• Triangular bandage

• Turkey baster or other bulb suction device for flushing out wounds

• Activated charcoal (use only if instructed by your poison control center)

• Anti-diarrhea medication

• Over-the-counter oral antihistamine (Benadryl, others)

• Aspirin and non-aspirin pain relievers (never give aspirin to children)

• Calamine lotion

• Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream

• Personal medications

• If prescribed by your doctor, drugs to treat an allergic attack, such as an auto-injector of epinephrine (EpiPen)

• Syringe, medicine cup or spoon

• Cell phone and recharger that utilizes the accessory plug in your car dash

• Emergency