When to Call 911

Note about confidentiality- we can only disclose information specifically related to the medical emergency. Name, age, relevant medications, the symptoms that we are seeing that lead us to call for EMS, what substances the person is detoxing from (if applicable), other relevant medical conditions. And generally, we're only going to answer the questions that the EMT asks us, and they're only going to ask questions relative to the emergency.

Call 911 when someone is experiencing any of these life-threatening symptoms:

• Choking
• Seizure
• Chest pain with difficulty breathing, or other signs of a heart attack
• Uncontrollable bleeding
• Severe burns
• Ingestion of a large quantity of any drug or chemical
• Loss of consciousness
• Change in consciousness, especially in a diabetic client (feeling dizzy or faint while experiencing confusion and/or weakness)
• Heat stroke (rapid heart rate, headache, confusion, hot and dry skin, the inability to sweat)
• Severe blow to the head, neck, chest or trunk
• Stroke (weakness, change in speech/vision/hearing, paralysis, can be limited to one side of the body)
• Shock (one or more of the following: pale, cool or clammy skin; anxiety; confusion; bluish lips or fingertips; dizziness or faintness; profuse sweating; rapid but weak pulse; shallow breathing; chest pain; loss of consciousness)
• Anaphylactic shock (shock caused by a severe allergy – symptoms include difficulty breathing; wheezing or high-pitched breathing sounds; confusion; slurred speech; rapid or weak pulse; blueness of the skin, particularly the lips or nail beds; fainting, lightheadedness, or dizziness; hives and generalized itching; heart palpitations; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea; abdominal pain or cramping; nasal congestion; cough)

After you call 911:

• Contact your supervisor to alert them of the situation
• Call the Emergency Contact and alert them that the person has gone to the hospital
• Write an Incident Report