Call for help so that the EMS crew gets on its way fast: give the address first, say briefly what happened and how the person is, and don't hang up first.
Calling is a technical step
Dial first, sort it out later
The big change in the 2025 guidelines is timing. Bystanders used to be taught to confirm abnormal breathing before calling; now you call as soon as someone is unresponsive and check breathing while the call connects. Recognizing abnormal breathing by phone is now the dispatcher's job. Many first-aid courses still teach the old order; the difference is in timing, not in what you do.
911 is the emergency number in the US and Canada and works from any phone, cell phones included. In Europe it's 112. In the US, always dial 911.
Once connected, put the phone on speaker and set it down: you'll need your hands, and the dispatcher will guide you.
There's no official list of dispatcher questions; each service has its own, so memorizing one is pointless. That's why the course suggests an order: address first — house number and street, building, apartment, floor, door code. It's a technique, not a rule: the ambulance can't leave without the address, and the call could drop on the next word. Then, briefly, what happened and how the person is: responding or not, breathing or not. No medical history, no details.
It sounds something like this: “Twelve Maple Street, building one, apartment eight, door code two-two-oh-five. A woman has collapsed and isn't responding.”
And don't hang up first — the dispatcher stays with you until EMS arrives.
Lesson notes
Dial first, sort it out later
The big change in the 2025 guidelines is timing. Bystanders used to be taught to confirm abnormal breathing before calling; now you call as soon as someone is unresponsive and check breathing while the call connects. Recognizing abnormal breathing by phone is now the dispatcher's job. Many first-aid courses still teach the old order; the difference is in timing, not in what you do.
911 is the emergency number in the US and Canada and works from any phone, cell phones included. In Europe it's 112. In the US, always dial 911.
Once connected, put the phone on speaker and set it down: you'll need your hands, and the dispatcher will guide you.
There's no official list of dispatcher questions; each service has its own, so memorizing one is pointless. That's why the course suggests an order: address first — house number and street, building, apartment, floor, door code. It's a technique, not a rule: the ambulance can't leave without the address, and the call could drop on the next word. Then, briefly, what happened and how the person is: responding or not, breathing or not. No medical history, no details.
It sounds something like this: “Twelve Maple Street, building one, apartment eight, door code two-two-oh-five. A woman has collapsed and isn't responding.”
And don't hang up first — the dispatcher stays with you until EMS arrives.