Because people occupy your building a high risk to consider is medical emergencies. The more people that occupy the building, the higher the risk. Medical emergencies are different than other events in your contingency plan in that they usually only affect a few people and not the entire building. However, to the person who is sick or injured it is an emergency of the highest degree and planning for such an event can save precious minutes.

Plan Ahead: Identify people who have CPR and First Aid training. Someone may need to be trained. In larger organizations usually the floor marshals/captains/leaders are trained. The organization can sponsor this training at a fairly low cost. Contact the Fire Department Public Education Specialist at 913/888-6066 or pubed@opfd.com for further information on what is available in our area. At the very least, supervisors should be aware of the steps involved to carry out an emergency medical plan and be prepared to take the lead and assist where they can even if they are not trained.

The Plan: Someone should be directed to call 9-1-1. Consider if your telephone system requires that they dial a 9 to get an outside line and be sure that they are dialing 9-9-1-1 if necessary. The person making the telephone call should be ready to provide the following information:

1. Location and telephone number.
2. What is the problem?
3. Age of the patient and are they male or female.
4. Are they conscious and talking lucidly? (Do they know their name, the date, where they are?)
5. Instructions for care of the patient will be given by the dispatcher at this time.
6. What happened?
7. Are they in pain? If so where?
8. Where should the emergency medical crew enter the building and who will meet them?

Someone should stay with the patient. Keep them calm and still. Provide first aid if necessary. Begin CPR if necessary. If an AED is available follow the policies in place for its use.

Someone should clear the area of other employees and visitors. This will give the patient privacy and the medical crew room to work.

Someone should meet the medical crew outside the building and walk them in.  This should be someone who has the access to all doors between the ambulance and the patient.

Someone should be instructed to contact the patient's family and provide information as to which hospital they will be taken and other information. The emergency medical crew can provide you with that information before they leave.

Someone should be in charge of checking on the employee throughout the day and providing up dated information as is appropriate to fellow employees who might be concerned. This does not suggest that you dispatch a company wide email. However, employees who work in the immediate area may find it hard to concentrate on the job at hand if they are worried about their co-worker. This is a delicate matter so use discretion when providing information to other employees. Ask the employee or their family for permission to give information and what exactly should be released.