Scene safety
Create enough order around an incident to prevent additional injuries and make professional handoff possible.
Pause before entering
Look, listen, and smell for hazards before moving toward someone in trouble. Fire, smoke, unstable structures, traffic, electricity, gas, chemicals, floodwater, weapons, and hostile behavior can make a rescue unsafe.
- Call for professional help and state the location, hazard, and number of people affected.
- Stay uphill, upwind, and outside collapse or traffic zones when possible.
- Use a lookout and a simple boundary so bystanders do not enter blindly.
- If the hazard cannot be controlled, do not enter; guide people from a safer position.
Make a handoff easy
Give responders a concise situation report: what happened, what is still dangerous, where victims are, what care has been given, and what resources are present.
Act on tsunami warnings
Near the coast, strong or long earthquake shaking, an unusual ocean roar, or a sudden sea-level change can be a natural tsunami warning. If shaking is occurring, protect yourself first; then move promptly out of the hazard zone to high ground or inland when safe to move. Do not wait for an electronic alert.
- Learn local evacuation routes before visiting or staying in a coastal area. Follow official warnings and evacuation instructions even if you cannot see a wave.
- Do not approach the shore to watch, launch a boat from shore to escape, or plan to float through debris. Remain outside the hazard zone until officials say it is safe to return.
Stop conditions
Any rescuer who becomes disoriented, exposed to a worsening hazard, or unable to exit should stop and withdraw. A preventable second casualty consumes the same scarce help as the first.