Two students are walking home from school when they see an unresponsive teenager lying on the sidewalk. According to principles of emergency first aid, what should the students do first?

• A. Checking the scene to make sure it is safe.
• B. Phoning a responsible adult.
• C. Initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
• D. Examining the teenager for signs of shock.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is scene safety. Before you do anything to help an unresponsive person, you must first make sure the area around you is safe for both you and the teenager. If there are hazards—oncoming traffic, fire, downed power lines, spilled chemicals—you could become a second victim by rushing in. So you quickly assess for danger, remove or avoid hazards if you can do so safely, and if the scene isn’t safe, you call for help from a safe location and wait for responders.

Once the scene is safe, you can proceed with the next steps—check for responsiveness, call emergency services, and begin appropriate care if indicated (for example, CPR if unresponsive and not breathing). Phoning a responsible adult isn’t the immediate priority when the situation is unknown and potentially dangerous, and examining for signs of shock is something you do after establishing safety and basic assessment.