care for a stranger

Yesterday, as I was riding my bike on the Seawall sidewalk, a Central member flagged me down to help with an unsheltered man who was clearly in need of help. Keeping in mind that I am not a medical professional, nor do I have any inside information on Galveston EMS protocols, I thought maybe the guidelines I have for myself in such a situation might be helpful. So, for what it’s worth:

1. If it’s a medical emergency, or you think it might be a medical emergency, call 911. Yeah, I know. First graders know this. Thing is, people who would immediately call 911 if they saw a tourist down and unresponsive will avert their eyes and walk on by if the person looks homeless. On the occasions that I have come across an unresponsive affluent-looking tourist and called 911, other people had already called it in. If the person down appears homeless, you can bet you’ll be the only 911 caller. My rule is that if I would call 911 were it a tourist lying there, I’ll call it in with someone poorly dressed and unkempt. I figure that it’s not my job to judge, it’s the dispatchers. My experience in Galveston is that they are very good at their job.
2. Stay with them until you talk to the dispatcher. They will have questions for you, and maybe some instructions. They need to find out if the person is unresponsive, and if they are responsive, if they want an ambulance.  It won’t take long for them to decide, and if they do decide to send an ambulance, it will get there very quickly, and there will be a highly trained paramedic on board. 

But, what if it’s not really an emergency, but the person clearly needs help? This was the situation yesterday, and it’s much more difficult to know the right thing to do. I need to think about this some more, and if you have any thoughts, please share them with Dawn.