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#AskPracMed – What do I do in the first few minutes after someone gets hurt?

Work through DRSBABCD — Danger, Response, Send for help, Bleeding, Airway, Breathing, CPR, Defibrillation. Start with scene safety: if it’s not safe to reach the person, don’t. Check for a response as this tells you immediately whether they’re conscious and whether their heart is working. If they are not alert and responsive, call for help immediately.

Before checking the airway, conduct a rapid blood sweep to check for massive haemorrhage. Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death and needs to be addressed before anything else. From there, manage the airway and breathing, and commence CPR if needed.

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Picture of Simon Carkeek

Simon Carkeek

Simon is a former NZDF Recon Operator and Patrol Commander with over a decade of service, including two deployments to Afghanistan, Solomon Islands peacekeeping, and humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami. Domestically, he responded to the Christchurch earthquakes and the Scotts Ferry floods. After service, Simon spent nearly five years in private contracting across Asia Pacific and the Middle East — working as a PSD Team Medic, Site Security Manager, and setting up medical clinics in austere environments where the nearest hospital was a long way away. He's a former action guy and a self-described meatball medic. He founded PracMed NZ because most first aid training wasn't preparing people for real emergencies. It still isn't, everywhere else.