This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to provide emergency care pending the arrival of appropriately qualified personnel. It includes identifying need for emergency care, ensuring personal safety of carer and casualty, reassuring casualty, assessing casualty and implementing emergency care procedures, working cooperatively with personnel from other organisations, recovering and restoring first aid equipment and completing documentation.

The unit is applicable to all public safety personnel who are required to provide initial lifesaving emergency care at an incident. It is not designed for personnel whose primary response role is one of emergency care, first aid or pre-hospital care.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

ELEMENTS

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1

Identify need for emergency care

1.1

Initial assessment is made of extent and nature of emergency care required

1.2

Initial assessment is communicated to appropriate personnel, in accordance with organisational policies and procedures

2

Ensure personal safety of carer and casualty

2.1

Hygiene is maintained for protection of self and casualty

2.2

Hazards to the carer are identified and appropriate action is taken to safeguard against injury

3

Reassure casualty

3.1

A calm, caring and reassuring manner is adopted in interaction with the casualty and others at the scene

3.2

Casualty is made comfortable using available resources

4

Assess casualty and implement emergency care procedures

4.1

Casualty is assessed for Danger Response Airway Breathing Circulation (DRABC)

4.2

Vital signs are continually monitored, recorded and any changes considered in planning treatment are reported, as appropriate

4.3

Treatment appropriate to casualty's injuries are provided, in accordance with approved first aid techniques and standards

4.4

First aid equipment is operated, in accordance with organisational policies, procedures, protocols and manufacturers' instructions

4.5

Casualty's condition is monitored and reported, in accordance with organisational policies and procedures and treatment is modified, as required

4.6

Treatment is maintained until qualified medical help takes over

5

Work cooperatively with personnel from other organisations

5.1

Clear and comprehensive reports are provided to personnel involved in ongoing casualty care

5.2

Members of other emergency services are assisted in their tasks, in accordance with organisational procedures and personal level of responsibility and competence

6

Recover and restore first aid equipmentand complete documentation

6.1

First aid equipment is recovered, cleaned, inspected and/or tested, stored, restocked and resupplied and medical waste is disposed of safely, in accordance with organisational policies and procedures

6.2

First aid equipment faults are rectified and/or reported, in accordance with organisational policies and procedures

6.3

Documentation is completed and processed, in accordance with organisational procedures and legislative and regulatory requirements

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Non-essential conditions may be found in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

Public Safety

Emergency Care