4 ms·

Relatedly, if you ever need to delegate something like a 911 call, you're supposed to single out a person and tell them, specifically "you, go dial 911" rather

by ohazi 7y ago

Relatedly, if you ever need to delegate something like a 911 call, you're supposed to single out a person and tell them, specifically "you, go dial 911" rather than shouting "someone call 911!" Apparently this makes it far more likely to actually happen.

groestl 7y ago
Also, if possible, touch that person while telling them to call 911 - helps them get moving if they are petrified.
- technothrasher 7y ago
  Touching somebody while asking them to do something for you works in most situations, not just a traumatic one. It creates a heightened level of intimacy, which makes the other person feel more obligated to help.
  - techdmn 7y ago
    This sets off pretty big alarm bells for me. Touching people is a pretty personal thing, and doing it with ulterior motives seems wrong. P.S. Don't touch me.
    - groestl 7y ago
      Sorry, but I will not ask you should somebody else's life be in danger. Touching, being a personal thing, is intended to take you out of your headspace and place you in the physical world (source: worked as an EMT in the past).
    - dragonwriter 7y ago
      Increasing the likelihood of someone doing exactly what you are asking them to is an overt rather than an ulterior motive of accompanying nonverbal communication. (That said, people do have different sensitivities to touch and this can backfire, but in an emergency situation maximizing the expected results of the request to call aid is going to be the highly favored course of action.)
    - abfan1127 7y ago
      thats the point. It makes a general shout "Call 911" and makes specifically personal, "You, the person I am touching and staring into your eyes, call 911, now!"...
    - esotericn 7y ago
      A life or death situation, and you're worried about someone tapping someone on the shoulder. I'd worry about karma!
    - technothrasher 7y ago
      Touching people is a pretty personal thing Yep, the increased sense of intimacy that can make somebody feel more obligated to you can also make somebody feel uncomfortable and pressured. It's a technique that can definitely backfire. Using it with strangers won't necessarily give you the result you thought it would. However, I suspect in a "call 911" type of situation the other person is already uncomfortable and it's worth psychologically pulling them closer in order to focus their attention.
      - techdmn 7y ago
        Sure, in an emergency situation making someone uncomfortable is a pretty minor concern. I commented specifically because you said "works in most situations, not just a traumatic one". I think it's worth considering that adopting this strategy for non-emergency situations could well create trauma for the person being touched.
agurk 7y ago
I have also been told in training for these kind of events to also tell that person to come back and tell you once they've done it. Apparently people have a tendency to wander off once they've done their task, leaving you not knowing if it's been completed & when help's arriving.
bkor 7y ago
Interestingly the standard procedure in The Netherlands for medical emergencies (the ones where you find someone on the ground) changed to actually calling yourself over asking a random bystander. Aside from calling you should also put the phone on handsfree and lay it next to the person (on the ground). This as 112 (911) asks loads of questions. Age of the person, conscious yes/no, what does the skin look like, feel like, etc. If it's about CPR it'll be way easier of course... but procedure is also to call asap. Meaning right after you find the person on the ground.. not after you checked. I had to call 112 this week. In practice things are often different than any procedure ;)
- Mordisquitos 7y ago
  >Interestingly the standard procedure in The Netherlands for medical emergencies (the ones where you find someone on the ground) changed to actually calling yourself over asking a random bystander. Aside from calling you should also put the phone on handsfree and lay it next to the person (on the ground). I guess that the "tell a specific person to call 112/999/911" guideline is a leftover from the days where someone would need to physically go and find a wired phone from which to make the call. Nowadays, tending to the victim and making the call are mutually compatible in most situations.
- diydsp 7y ago
  I find this approach of taking individual responsibility much better than handing over authority to a "person in a uniform" as the GP stated. Sure it's easier to blindly trust the "official" one, but it sets up a disempowering dynamic where the group is clueless and only looking for a charismatic leader to point them in the right direction. For something cut as clearly as a fire alarm, there is no reason why everyone over 10 years old can not respond properly as single unit. > Instead of us staring at each other trying to decide whether the group considers it serious enough to go along with, just having that person singled out as the "official" one was enough to get the momentum going.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - 7y ago
namdnay 7y ago
Same thing at work :)
MS90 7y ago
I remember this from Boy Scouts. We were taught to pick someone, point straight at them and say "YOU, call 911"

by ohazi 7y ago

groestl 7y ago

Also, if possible, touch that person while telling them to call 911 - helps them get moving if they are petrified.

technothrasher 7y ago
Touching somebody while asking them to do something for you works in most situations, not just a traumatic one. It creates a heightened level of intimacy, which makes the other person feel more obligated to help.
- techdmn 7y ago
  This sets off pretty big alarm bells for me. Touching people is a pretty personal thing, and doing it with ulterior motives seems wrong. P.S. Don't touch me.
  - groestl 7y ago
    Sorry, but I will not ask you should somebody else's life be in danger. Touching, being a personal thing, is intended to take you out of your headspace and place you in the physical world (source: worked as an EMT in the past).
  - dragonwriter 7y ago
    Increasing the likelihood of someone doing exactly what you are asking them to is an overt rather than an ulterior motive of accompanying nonverbal communication. (That said, people do have different sensitivities to touch and this can backfire, but in an emergency situation maximizing the expected results of the request to call aid is going to be the highly favored course of action.)
  - abfan1127 7y ago
    thats the point. It makes a general shout "Call 911" and makes specifically personal, "You, the person I am touching and staring into your eyes, call 911, now!"...
  - esotericn 7y ago
    A life or death situation, and you're worried about someone tapping someone on the shoulder. I'd worry about karma!
  - technothrasher 7y ago
    Touching people is a pretty personal thing Yep, the increased sense of intimacy that can make somebody feel more obligated to you can also make somebody feel uncomfortable and pressured. It's a technique that can definitely backfire. Using it with strangers won't necessarily give you the result you thought it would. However, I suspect in a "call 911" type of situation the other person is already uncomfortable and it's worth psychologically pulling them closer in order to focus their attention.
    - techdmn 7y ago
      Sure, in an emergency situation making someone uncomfortable is a pretty minor concern. I commented specifically because you said "works in most situations, not just a traumatic one". I think it's worth considering that adopting this strategy for non-emergency situations could well create trauma for the person being touched.

agurk 7y ago

I have also been told in training for these kind of events to also tell that person to come back and tell you once they've done it. Apparently people have a tendency to wander off once they've done their task, leaving you not knowing if it's been completed & when help's arriving.

bkor 7y ago

Interestingly the standard procedure in The Netherlands for medical emergencies (the ones where you find someone on the ground) changed to actually calling yourself over asking a random bystander. Aside from calling you should also put the phone on handsfree and lay it next to the person (on the ground). This as 112 (911) asks loads of questions. Age of the person, conscious yes/no, what does the skin look like, feel like, etc. If it's about CPR it'll be way easier of course... but procedure is also to call asap. Meaning right after you find the person on the ground.. not after you checked. I had to call 112 this week. In practice things are often different than any procedure ;)

Mordisquitos 7y ago
>Interestingly the standard procedure in The Netherlands for medical emergencies (the ones where you find someone on the ground) changed to actually calling yourself over asking a random bystander. Aside from calling you should also put the phone on handsfree and lay it next to the person (on the ground). I guess that the "tell a specific person to call 112/999/911" guideline is a leftover from the days where someone would need to physically go and find a wired phone from which to make the call. Nowadays, tending to the victim and making the call are mutually compatible in most situations.
diydsp 7y ago
I find this approach of taking individual responsibility much better than handing over authority to a "person in a uniform" as the GP stated. Sure it's easier to blindly trust the "official" one, but it sets up a disempowering dynamic where the group is clueless and only looking for a charismatic leader to point them in the right direction. For something cut as clearly as a fire alarm, there is no reason why everyone over 10 years old can not respond properly as single unit. > Instead of us staring at each other trying to decide whether the group considers it serious enough to go along with, just having that person singled out as the "official" one was enough to get the momentum going.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- 7y ago

namdnay 7y ago

Same thing at work :)

MS90 7y ago

I remember this from Boy Scouts. We were taught to pick someone, point straight at them and say "YOU, call 911"