First Aid and Basic Life Support
Primary survey
Use DRABC: Danger (to you, the casualty and bystanders), Response (talk and shake gently), Airway (open, look for obstruction), Breathing (look, listen, feel for 10 seconds), Circulation (check for severe bleeding). Shout for help and call the emergency service early; a guard is not expected to diagnose.
CPR and AED
If the adult is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start chest compressions: centre of the chest, 5 to 6 cm deep, 100 to 120 per minute, 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths if trained, otherwise compression-only. Use an AED as soon as it arrives and follow its voice prompts. Place a breathing casualty in the recovery position.
Common emergencies
Severe bleeding: direct pressure with a clean dressing. Burns: cool running water for about 20 minutes, cover loosely, no ice or toothpaste. Choking: back blows, then abdominal thrusts. Snakebite: immobilise the limb, remove rings, no tourniquet or cutting. Heat stroke: shade, cool, hydrate if conscious. Fracture: immobilise, do not realign.
Worked example. A visitor collapses. The guard checks danger, gets no response, opens the airway, sees no normal breathing, shouts for someone to call the ambulance and fetch the AED, and begins compressions. Reasoning: early compressions and early defibrillation are the two actions that most improve survival; waiting for a pulse check or moving the casualty wastes time.
Traps that cost marks
Giving water to an unconscious person, checking the pulse for several minutes, applying ice directly to a burn, using a tourniquet for snakebite, and touching blood without gloves.