First Aid, Emergency Care and Sports Safety
First Aid, Emergency Care and Sports Safety
This domain tests immediate, safe action at the field or gym. You must know the emergency sequence, CPR/AED use, bleeding control, suspected fractures, head injury and environmental emergencies.
Core rules and concepts
- Primary survey: danger, response, airway, breathing, circulation (DRABC); call emergency services early and send for an AED.
- Adult CPR: 30 compressions to 2 breaths, depth 5–6 cm, rate 100–120/min, unless trained otherwise; use the AED as soon as available.
- Severe bleeding: direct pressure, dressing, elevate if possible; do not remove embedded objects.
- Suspected fracture: immobilise and support; do not realign. Suspected spinal injury: keep still unless immediate danger.
- Concussion: remove from play, do not allow same-day return; medical assessment is required.
- Heat illness: move to a cool area, remove excess clothing, cool actively, hydrate only if fully conscious.
- Document incidents and obtain consent where possible.
Worked example
A player collapses and is unresponsive. Check danger and response; shout for help and an AED; open the airway and check breathing. If not breathing normally, start CPR 30:2 and apply the AED when it arrives. Reasoning: unresponsiveness plus abnormal breathing is treated as cardiac arrest until proven otherwise.
Traps
- Giving water to an unconscious athlete.
- Moving a suspected spinal injury to “make them comfortable”.
- Returning a concussed player to the same match.