SQUARE DANCE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES




Hopefully none of us will ever be in a square in which an emergency occurs. It does happen, however, and should it happen to you or someone in your square, the following procedures should be followed:

1. In anticipation of the possibility that it could happen to you, write yourself a note RIGHT NOW to put on the back of your badge the name and phone number of someone to notify in case of an emergency. This information can be affixed with Dymo tape or written with a felt marking pen that writes on any surface permanently.

2. If someone in your square in stricken, six of the people in the square should join hands in a circle around the afflicted person and raise their hands high above their heads. All callers are aware that this is a distress signal and will ask if there is a doctor present. As soon as the dancing has stopped everyone should step back and give the person breathing room.

3. If you have any CPR or other First Aid training and know what you are doing, and if there is no doctor present, render assistance. If there is any doubt about the correct course of action DO NOTHING until you have checked with the person on the 911 line. You do not want to worsen the situation by doing the wrong thing.

4. Meanwhile, the seventh person of the square should take someone from an adjoining square with him and rush to the nearest phone to dial 911. This should be a person from the square because the person reached at the 911 number may want to ask pertinent questions from an eyewitness to the occurrence. Do not hang up. Use the person you have taken with you as a messenger to relay instructions back and forth to the site of the victim.