This chapter covers the basic emergency medical care skills included in NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications. Because fire fighters encounter ill or injured people on the job, a basic knowledge of these skills is important. This chapter covers infection control, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, controlling bleeding, and shock. This chapter emphasizes the importance of assuring your safety, the safety of other rescuers, the safety of victims, and safety of bystanders at the scene of emergency medical incidents. Finally, this chapter describes the concept of triage used at the scene of mass casualty incidents to provide the best treatment to large numbers of victims.
The knowledge and skills covered in this chapter are not meant to replace or substitute formal courses required for CPR, fire fighter, or emergency medical technician certification. Most states have training and certification requirements for those people who respond to medical emergencies. It is important for you to follow the requirements imposed by your state regulations and local ordinances.