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Scene Survey

The scene survey is your initial assessment of the situation. You are trying to figure out how did this happen and are there any hazards to my person.

Recall the three steps of the scene survey are:

  1. Hazards
  2. History/bystanders ➡ D-spine?
  3. PPE

Step 1 ➡ Hazards

Identify hazards you can see visually as you approach. In a lifeguarding context of a pool this is more of a controlled environment so you likely know the hazards. However there could be some unknowns: do you see needles, exposed electrical equipment, etc. These hazards can also inform you on your response and treatment of the victim.

Step 2 ➡ History

Your next step is determining the history of what happened to cause the first aid incident:

  • 👋 If the victim is conscious this could be as simple asking the questions "what's wrong and how did this happen?"
  • 😵 If they are unconscious this could ask a bystander "hey did you see what happened?"

If the mechanism of injury could indicate a spinal, follow up with does your neck hurt? Do you feel any tingling? If the mechanism is severe and they have any symptoms of a spinal proceed with the appropriate spinal procedure. Remember that if you don't know the mechanism of injury it is better to be safe than sorry.

Example 1: Timmy is unconscious in the deep end by the diving boards. You didn't see what happened.

Response: You don't know what happened but there is a possibility that he injured his spine. Therefore you are going to flatboard him as a precaution.

Example 2: Timmy is unconscious in the deep end by the diving boards. You saw him practicing holding his breath 5 seconds before.

Response: It would be reasonable to assume he just passed out. Therefore spinal protocol is not necessary.

Example 3: Timmy was sitting in the hot tub. You find him unconscious.

Response: This would be at your discretion. If you suspect he hit his neck than it could be a spinal. However the likely culprit if sitting in the hot tub is he passed out.

‼️ Remember if a person is conscious you need to have their permission to treat them. You automatically have implied consent if they go unconscious, even if they previously refused treatment.

Step 3 ➡ PPE

‼️ Put on your personal protective equipment (PPE)! Do NOT forget this step!

This is most commonly putting on gloves. Remember that you cannot do your job effectively if you get a disease or injured from a first aid.