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Counting on fast help is the one thing you need when an emergency strikes, whether it’s a car accident, sudden illness, or natural disaster. However, the reality is that help may not always arrive as quickly as you expect because of various reasons, such as peak times resulting in high demand, infrastructure issues, and even geographical limitations. Read on to discover how to prepare for emergency delays when you’re in a crisis.

1. Understand Why Emergency Delays Happen and How to Work Around Them

Emergency medical services (EMS) aim to respond within minutes, but various systemic and situational factors can prevent them from achieving this goal. For instance, if you’re requesting assistance through the FREE-to-use iER App and live in a rural area, the nearest response teams might lack fully equipped ambulances. On the other hand, those in urban centres may struggle with traffic congestion, civil unrest, or load-shedding that interferes with GPS, dispatch centres, or hospital communications.

Additionally, the iER emergency centre may receive incorrect information or have difficulty understanding the situation due to panic, language barriers, or poor phone signal. Knowing what causes delays helps you anticipate and improve the relay of information by giving more detailed location info if your location settings aren’t working. Most importantly, you can also consider using alternate emergency numbers.

2. Have a High-Quality First Aid Kit at Home

Having a well-stocked first aid kit and knowing how to use it appropriately is your first line of defence during a delay. It’s common for most people to buy pre-packaged kits and store them away, only to find missing or expired items when they’re needed most. That’s why it’s important to have one which includes essentials such as sterile dressings, antiseptic ointment, antihistamines for allergic reactions, oral rehydration salts, and emergency burn gel.

If you have chronic medications, such as asthma inhalers or epilepsy medication, ensure these are rotated regularly and stored in clearly labelled containers. If you have infants, consider including child-centric options such as thermometers, fever medication, and teething relief. Moreover, it’s an excellent idea to keep a first aid kit at home, one in your car, and one when you travel, and to review the contents at least every three months.

3. Train for the First Few Minutes of the Delay

Delays in emergency response could mean that you or a loved one may need to receive critical care within the first 10 minutes of an incident. If someone stops breathing, chokes, or goes into shock, even a minute-long delay can be fatal without immediate intervention. While you don’t need extensive training, you should consider:

• Taking a certified first aid course.
• Learning CPR for adults and children, including learning how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
• Knowing how to stop severe bleeding by applying the correct pressure techniques or tourniquet.
• Learning how to keep someone stable after a fall or seizure.

4. Streamline Your Emergency Protocol on Call

How you communicate during the crisis can worsen the delay. When calling emergency services, always start by providing your exact location, especially if your network signal is disrupted and you can’t enable location sharing from your smartphone. Use landmarks, GPS coordinates, or street names and intersections, and avoid vague descriptions that don’t provide sufficient information.

Describe the emergency clearly and briefly and state how many people are injured, any known medical conditions, and immediate risks such as being exposed to a fire, bleeding, or seizure. Stay on the line unless told otherwise and assign someone else to answer follow-up calls if needed. Most importantly, ensure you store your emergency contacts on your phone and use medical ID apps or bracelets to relay chronic conditions or allergies.

5. Make Financial Room for Affordable Medical Backups

One of the biggest dangers associated with emergency delays is the financial strain they can cause. For instance, you might need casualty stabilisation, but the nearest hospital is private, and you don’t have medical cover. Any delays or hesitations about where to go could mean that precious time to provide lifesaving interventions is lost.

Affordable health cover options, such as Affinity Health, provide various plans to lessen the challenges associated with emergency care and affordability. With access to GPs, 24/7 medical hotlines, ambulance support, and hospitalisation, you can have access to quality and private healthcare when faced with medical emergencies. Moreover, immediate access to stabilisation at a private facility can improve your treatment and recovery outcomes.

Being prepared for emergencies means understanding that you should have an alternative plan should you encounter delays. Some things can be beyond your control, such as traffic, natural disasters, and signal issues. The FREE-to-use iER App’s emergency centre provides prompt assistance by determining the nature of your emergency and the type of response necessary.

With access to over 18,000 medical and non-medical emergency services, you can rest assured that delays can be effectively handled no matter where you are. Stay emergency-ready with the FREE-to-use iER App. Download the iER App today from the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, or the Huawei App Gallery to stay prepared.