Finding an Unconscious Person
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Sometimes you may find someone who does not seem to be awake, or they pass out while they are with you. First, you need to make sure they are breathing. You do this by placing one of your hands on their forehead and the other on their chin and gently tilting their head back. This opens their airway and allows as much room as possible for air to pass down. The tongue is the most common thing that blocks the airway, so opening the airway like this will pull the tongue away from the back of the throat and allow them to breathe. Another thing that can block the airway is food; we will cover that in the module on choking.
If the person is not breathing, we would call the emergency services and then do CPR. If they are breathing, we would check them for any injuries and place them in the recovery position. This is a way of laying someone on their side so they can be kept safe; if they are sick any vomit can flow out of their mouth rather than choking them.
Once you put someone in the recovery position, you need to monitor them, keep them warm, and keep talking to them until help arrives.