As a lifesaver on patrol, you have a duty of care to provide emergency care within the limits of your training so far as is reasonably practicable. When a person is conscious and requires first aid, you must first obtain their consent to provide treatment before commencing. For people under the age of 18, you will need their parent’s or guardian’s consent where possible.
After you begin providing emergency care for someone, continue to treat them until:
- another person trained in the provision of first aid or advanced medical assistance takes over
- the incident scene becomes unsafe
- the person, their parent or guardian withdraws their consent
- you are physically unable to continue.
While providing first aid it is important to remember to:
- accurately complete incident documentation.
- act within the limits of your training
- follow the guidelines as set down in this manual and recognised peak bodies such as the ARC
- maintain a person’s right to privacy
- obtain consent to provide treatment where appropriate
- seek appropriate advanced medical assistance if required
- treat people with respect and dignity
During any legal proceedings that may follow an incident, such as a worker’s compensation or insurance claim, you will be judged against the standard of emergency care to which you have been trained. For any claim to be successful, it must be proved that damage was caused by your negligence. Negligence can be established if:
- a duty of care was owed
- the standard of care required was breached
- injury occurred to the person receiving treatment