Before medical personnel arrive, which steps should be taken?

• A. Question witnesses, photograph the victim, and leave the scene.
• B. Ensure scene safety; provide care within training; render aid; and preserve evidence and documentation.
• C. Arrest any involved parties, confiscate belongings, and depart.
• D. Hand over scene to bystanders and wait.

Answer: (B)

The priority is to keep people safe, provide appropriate care within your training, and preserve evidence for investigators. Start by making sure the scene itself won’t cause more harm: look for hazards like traffic, fire, or weapons, secure the area, and use any available protective gear. Then render aid in line with what you’ve learned: assess responsiveness, check breathing and circulation, control bleeding, and perform any actions you’re trained to do (such as CPR) while waiting for EMS to arrive. Continue to monitor the patient and reassess as needed, providing care until professional help takes over.

Preserving evidence and documentation is also essential: avoid unnecessary movement or disturbance of the scene, note important details (what you observed, what you did, times), and relay these to the arriving medical team. This helps investigators and protects the patient’s rights.

Other options miss one or more of these elements—unsafe conditions, delaying or withholding care, or actions that belong to law enforcement rather than medical responders.