The minutes before an ambulance arrives can feel very long. These steps help the crew reach you faster and keep the patient as safe as possible.
1. Give clear information on the call
- Exact location with a landmark, floor number and whether there is a lift.
- What happened and the patient’s condition: conscious or not, breathing or not, bleeding, chest pain.
- A phone number that stays free, so the driver can call you.
2. Make it easy for the crew to reach you
- Send someone to the main road or gate to guide the ambulance.
- Clear the way to the patient — move furniture, hold the lift, unlock doors.
- At night, switch on outside lights.
3. Keep these ready
- The patient’s ID and any health insurance card.
- Recent prescriptions, medicines, and reports or discharge summaries.
- A phone charger and some cash or a UPI-enabled phone.
4. Basic first aid (only if it is safe)
- Stay calm and stay with the patient. Keep them comfortable and reassure them.
- Not breathing normally and not responding? Start hands-only CPR: push hard and fast in the centre of the chest, about 100–120 pushes a minute, until help arrives. The dispatcher can guide you.
- Unconscious but breathing? Turn them gently onto their side (the recovery position) to keep the airway open — unless you suspect a neck or spine injury.
- Bleeding? Press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth.
- Suspected neck, back or head injury after a fall or accident? Do not move the person unless they are in danger.
- Do not give food or water unless a doctor advises it.
5. After the crew arrives
Tell the crew what happened, when it started, and any medicines given. Hand over the reports and medicines you collected.
This guide is general information, not a substitute for professional medical advice or training. Consider taking a certified first-aid and CPR course. In a life-threatening emergency, dial 112.