A First Aider is a layperson trained to provide immediate, temporary assistance to an injured or ill individual until professional medical help arrives. This initial intervention is crucial for stabilizing a person’s condition, preserving life, and preventing the situation from worsening. The expected level of care is defined by training, legal boundaries, and ethical obligations designed to maximize benefit while minimizing the risk of harm.
Defining the First Aider’s Scope and Restrictions
The First Aider operates under strict limitations because they are not licensed medical professionals. Their role prohibits them from attempting to diagnose an injury or illness. First Aiders also cannot administer prescription medications to a casualty, except for assisting with a casualty’s own pre-prescribed medication, such as an epinephrine auto-injector for anaphylaxis, if trained.
Any invasive procedures, such as giving injections or suturing wounds, are beyond the First Aider’s scope of practice. The primary focus remains on stabilization, which involves non-invasive techniques. This boundary establishes the “ceiling” of care, ensuring the First Aider only employs techniques they are formally trained to perform.
The Principle of Duty to Act and Obtaining Consent
The legal obligation to provide care, known as the “Duty to Act,” varies depending on the rescuer’s relationship to the injured person. A general member of the public typically has no legal duty to intervene in an emergency unless they caused the situation. Conversely, a designated workplace first aider operates under a contractual or employment-based duty to act toward their colleagues.
Once a First Aider chooses to intervene, they assume a duty of care toward the casualty. Before initiating any treatment on a conscious adult, the First Aider must obtain expressed consent, which is a clear verbal or non-verbal agreement to the proposed assistance. The rescuer should introduce themselves, state their training, and explain the intended care actions.
If the casualty is unresponsive due to unconsciousness, severe confusion, or a life-threatening condition, implied consent is assumed. If a conscious, mentally competent adult refuses care, the First Aider must respect that decision, cease all physical intervention, and immediately contact emergency services to report the refusal.
Practical Care Actions Expected
The foundation of a First Aider’s practical expectation is the systematic primary survey, often remembered by the acronym DRSABCD: Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR, and Defibrillation. The first action is always to check the Danger to both the rescuer and the casualty before assessing the person’s Response. If unresponsive, the First Aider must Send for help by immediately calling emergency medical services.
Life-threatening issues are addressed in order, starting by clearing the Airway using a head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver. The First Aider then checks for normal Breathing by looking for chest rise and listening for air movement for no more than ten seconds. If the person is not breathing or is only gasping, the focus shifts to CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and attaching an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Controlling severe hemorrhage is an immediate and simultaneous priority, often overriding the typical sequence. The expected technique is to apply firm, direct pressure to the wound using a clean dressing. If bleeding from a limb cannot be controlled with direct pressure, a trained First Aider should apply a commercial tourniquet approximately two inches above the wound and note the time of application. For managing shock, the First Aider should lay the person down, raise their legs slightly (provided there is no suspected limb or spinal injury), loosen restrictive clothing, and maintain body warmth.
Understanding Protection Against Liability
First Aiders are generally protected from lawsuits by Good Samaritan Laws. These laws typically shield a rescuer from civil liability when they act voluntarily, in good faith, and without expectation of compensation. The protection covers simple mistakes or ordinary negligence, such as inadvertently cracking a rib while performing chest compressions during CPR.
This immunity is not absolute and does not extend to gross negligence or willful misconduct. Gross negligence is defined as an extreme departure from the expected standard of care, demonstrating a reckless or conscious disregard for the safety of the person being helped. An example would be deliberately dragging an injured person suspected of having a spinal injury across a road when the scene could have been made safe. Willful misconduct involves an intentional act of wrongdoing, such as using first aid equipment in a way known to cause harm.