TRIAGE PROCEDURE
Policy: In the event of a serious emergency, the Emergency Charge will make life-saving decisions until relieved by a superior or a rescue team.
Purpose: To effectively care for the injured who can be saved, with the most efficient use of time, personnel, and supplies.
Procedure:
In the event of a major disaster, you may be faced with life or death decisions. Remember, decisions may be temporary or changed later, but only one person decides - The Emergency Charge. This will be your most difficult and distasteful responsibility.
When you have many people injured or several seriously injured, the priorities in order are:
- Care for the surviving children.
- Gather as many able-bodied adults as possible.
- Time management is key. Use resources efficiently.
The purpose of “triage” is to assign the injured into different categories to be treated in the order listed below:
- Immediate - If they are not breathing normally.
- Urgent - If they are breathing normally but unable to walk.
- Delayed - Anyone who is walking around has either the mental capacity or physical ability to mobilize themselves. They are by the nature of their abilities less serious than some who is not able to do so.
- Dead - If the person appears unconscious, properly check the mouth and clear it if necessary, then open they airway by tilting the head. If you are confident that they are not breathing, they are dead.
Resource: Triage — REAL First Aid