Before help arrives, how should you react to a road accident or illness? Three tips from Frédéric Duchemin, president of the Departmental Union of Manche Firefighters.
See also: VIDEO. An apartment ravaged by fire in Saint-Herblain
Do not put yourself in danger
“When you witness an accident, you must not put yourself in danger. For example, if it is a traffic accident, before getting out of your vehicle, you must put on a vest, activate your warnings, and above all be very careful when leaving the passenger compartment. If we take risks, it could potentially cause two victims rather than just one. Then we protect the victim. Still in the case of a car accident, if we can channel traffic, we do not move the person. On the other hand, if the flow is too dense, we move it a few meters. »
Analyze the situation and alert
“Afterwards, we must analyze the situation in order to notify emergency services as quickly as possible. If we can, we approach in order to obtain an approximate state of the victims: Is she talking? Is she bleeding? Is she breathing? We can check this by looking at his chest or putting our cheek against his mouth. Then, alert the emergency services at 112. Even without a network, you can dial this number, unlike 18. If you are paralyzed, you must call 112 without delay. At the end of the line, people will guide the witness. »
See shapes
“There are several formats. The “gestures that save” training lasts two hours and costs €15. The PSC (Citizen First Aid) lasts seven hours and costs €60. Several structures provide these lessons: the Departmental Union of Firefighters, Civil Protection, the Red Cross… »
