Call 911 instead of trying to take an injured or ill person to the hospital yourself. It seems like waiting for an ambulance will make it take longer to get help, but ambulance crews can start providing care as soon as they arrive. They can get the patient to hospital quickly, legally, and more safely.

1. Stay on the line with 911 and follow emergency instructions.
2. Stay calm and try to keep the patient calm.
3. Don’t move a patient who was injured in an automobile accident or fall, or who was found unconscious.
4. If the patient is cold, cover them with a blanket.
5. Don’t give an injured person anything to eat or drink (unless instructed by the 911 dispatcher).
6. Have someone watch for the ambulance and show the crew how to get to the patient. (This is especially important in an apartment or office building, or if your address is hard to see from the street).

Other First Aid Tasks