At a Sunday service or other major event in one of buildings where someone must be identified to manage a medical emergency. Normally this would be the role of the First Impressions (FI) to be in charge of the scene. The FI should read this document at least every three months. 

If a service does not have an FI, anyone may manage the scene to ensure the continued safety of the patient, this may be an employee, key leader, volunteer, church member, visitor. This information is written as if an FI is in charge. 

What to do when you are called 

• Ask a staff member to assist and then assess the situation quickly before doing anything - is the patient breathing and are they awake?  

• If  the person has passed out or is non-responsive in any way, instruct a staff member, key volunteer or any other person to call 000 and  stay with the patient. 

• Ask another person to find one of our Medical persons - the Information desk has an easy to grab list with phone numbers. 

• Ask someone to retrieve the whole defibrillator out of the pull out section in the Info Desk. Await the medical person to use the defibrillator if required. 

• If person can walk - have them walk to foyer for assessment by the medical person. 

Note: Once the decision to commence first aid has been made, the Medical person is committed to provide a duty of care to the patient; ie, to remain with the patient and provide reasonable treatment - to the best of their ability and to their level of training until:

• medical aid in the form of an ambulance arrives;

• they are physically unable to continue to provide first aid;

• the situation becomes unsafe to do so.

If the situation is not life threatening and a medical person has been located 

• Ask an employee/Volunteer to manage any crowds that begins to gather, moving people away from the scene or back into the service if still going. 

• If there are children involved and it is the parent who is incapacitated, ask an employee to stay with the family/children and assist as needed. 

• Continue assessment for life threatening injuries until the Medical person or paramedic arrives. 

• Once the Medical Person assesses the situation, if the situation continues to be non life threatening, make the person comfortable and check that a family member or friend is with them before leaving them. 

• Determine if the situation requires an online Accident, Incident and Injury Report found on the Drive.to be filled in. If in doubt, fill it in and submit. The Compliance Officer will contact you if needed. 

If the situation is life threatening 

• When calling 000, be prepared to answer the following questions. Remain with the person to ask them questions if they are able to respond. Hand the phone to the Medical person when they arrive. 

• What is the exact location of the incident/accident?  

• What is the phone number from which you are calling?  

• What has happened?  

• How many people are sick/hurt?  

• What is the nature of the casualty’s injuries? 

• Are you with the casualty now?  

• How old is the casualty?  

• Is the casualty conscious?  

• Is the casualty breathing?

• What medication is the casualty on?

• Ask an employee/Volunteer to manage any crowds that begins to gather, moving people away from the scene or back into the service if still going.

• If there are children involved and it is the parent who is incapacitated, ask an employee/Pastor to stay with the family/children and assist as needed.

• When giving the address use the following description:

“The address is 322 Wecker Rd Carindale. Please enter at the second entrance at the big red sign. Continue up the road and the ambulance will see a person on the roadside waving at them”. Depending on where the person is situated is to how you direct the ambulance.

• If incident has occurred in the Main church building, ask an employee/Volunteer to find three people to help wave the ambulance in:

  • Identify a person to stand on the internal road outside the cafe to wave in the ambulance. 

  • Identify a second person to stand at the crossing outside the cafe to continue waving the ambulance in. 

  • Identify another to clear a pathway of tables, chairs and people on the circular drive. (NB if the bollards are in place prohibiting entry to the driveway, have them removed)

  • If you have called 000 you are not allowed to leave the patient for any reason. 

Once the incident is determined to be over 

(patient has been taken to hospital or remains because he/she is ok)

• Question the casualty and witnesses to the incident. Take notes for the form.

• Fill in an online Accident, Incident and Injury Report.