Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

1 Introduction to First Aid

Legal aspects – First Aid and the law In situations where you give first aid as part of your job, you have a legal obligation to respond to an emergency and you must provide reasonable care within your job description and level of training. Working in a job that requires you to use first aid is a serious responsibility. As a professional you have an obligation to always improve your knowledge and education. The more you learn and practice, the better and more confident a provider you will be. In the private setting and with the exception of Quebec, Canada and most of the United States have no legal requirement for you to provide first aid. The choice is left up to the individual. In Quebec, the law is different. If another person’s life is in risk you have a legal requirement to help them, provided you do not greatly risk your own life to do so.

Fearing legal issues, many people hesitate to help an injured or ill person. To help alleviate this dilemma, the law recognizes the principle of the good samaritan. The good samaritan law protects you if you choose to help. The principle of a good samaritan is the act of good faith. You are not obligated to help – you choose to help. You are not expecting to be recognized or rewarded in any way. If you become involved in an emergency, then you have some responsibilities. Patient’s in first aid can be categorized into three age groups. See the table below. (age range is a guidelines only based on lean body weight)

Patient Age Groups

Infant Child Adult

< 1 year

1 - puberty

at and beyond puberty

4

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