Emergency Action Decision Tree

Pick the type of incident, how severe it looks, and who it is happening to. The tool returns the ranked first-response actions, the critical things NOT to do, and when to call 911, for ten common home emergencies. Useful at 3am when the panic hits and you cannot remember which order things go in.

Pair this with the action-layer guide, Home Emergency First-Aid Skills, and keep the printable Emergency Response Quick Reference on the fridge.

General first-aid guidance, not a substitute for training. This tool helps you remember what to do in an emergency. It is not medical advice or a replacement for a proper first-aid and CPR course. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) for any life-threatening situation. Take a real course with the Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Find your first response

Choose the incident, the severity you are seeing, and who it is happening to. Results update instantly with the ranked actions, the do-not warnings, and the 911 threshold for that exact situation.

Live results update as you choose

Do this first

If this is life-threatening, call 911 now and act under the dispatcher's guidance. This is general guidance, not training.

Do this first: 5 back blows + 5 abdominal thrusts

For severe choking in an adult who cannot speak, cough, or breathe.

Back blows + thrusts Action #1

Alternate 5 and 5 Action #2

CPR if they collapse Action #3

Step by step: severe choking in an adult

Do NOT

How to use this tool

Pick the incident closest to what you are seeing, set the severity, and choose whether it is an adult, a child aged 1 to 12, or an infant under 1. The tool returns the three most important actions in order, the detailed steps for the first one, the do-not warnings that matter most, and the threshold for calling 911. Work the actions top to bottom. When in doubt about whether it is serious, treat it as serious and call 911.

The five-second priority order

Almost every emergency follows the same opening sequence. Memorise this and the specifics fall into place.

Is the scene safe? Do not become a second casualty. Watch for traffic, fire, electricity, and water.
Is it life-threatening? Unconscious, not breathing, severe bleeding, stroke or heart-attack signs, anaphylaxis, or a severe burn means call 911 first.
Call 911 and put it on speaker. The dispatcher walks you through CPR, bleeding control, and more while help is on the way.
Act on the top action. Pressure for bleeding, back blows and thrusts for choking, compressions for cardiac arrest, the EpiPen for anaphylaxis.
Reassess and hand off. Watch for changes, keep them warm and calm, and give paramedics the medication and allergy list.

Pro tips that save the most time

Call 911 first when it is life-threatening. Bystanders often burn minutes assessing before calling. Call first, then act under the dispatcher's phone guidance.
Note the time symptoms started for a suspected stroke or heart attack. The clot-buster (tPA) and cath-lab windows are measured from onset, so that timestamp directly shapes treatment.
Have a medication and recent-illness list ready. Paramedics ask the same handful of questions every time. Handing them a written list of medications, allergies, and conditions speeds care.
You are protected when you help. Good Samaritan laws protect bystanders who give reasonable aid in good faith in all 10 Canadian provinces (Quebec frames it as a duty to assist) and all 50 US states. Acting beats freezing.
Take a real first-aid and CPR course. The Canadian Red Cross (redcross.ca), St. John Ambulance (sja.ca), and the Heart and Stroke Foundation (heartandstroke.ca) run standard certification for roughly $130 to $135 CAD; the American Red Cross (redcross.org) runs it for about $110 to $130 USD. Recertify every 2 to 3 years.

The NEVER list, no matter the incident

Never put butter or ice on a burn. Butter traps heat and deepens the burn; ice causes more tissue damage from rapid cooling. Use cool running water only.
Never move someone with a suspected spine injury unless they are in immediate danger or not breathing. Immobilise the head and neck instead.
Never put anything in the mouth during a seizure. It is a Hollywood myth that breaks teeth and blocks the airway.
Never use an improvised tourniquet (belt, towel). It cannot reach the pressure needed and adds a crush injury. Commercial tourniquets only.
Never drive yourself to the ER for a suspected heart attack or stroke. Paramedics start treatment en route.

Canada and US: aligned guidelines

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the American Heart Association have published aligned Basic Life Support (BLS) guidelines since 2010, so the CPR, choking, and bleeding-control steps here are the same on both sides of the border. The differences are practical: who certifies you and which emergency numbers to keep.

Poison Control. The US has one national line, 1-800-222-1222. Canada uses provincial centres (for example Ontario 1-800-268-9017, BC 1-800-567-8911); all eight regional numbers are on the printable quick-reference card.
Certification. Canadian Red Cross and St. John Ambulance Standard First Aid with CPR-C runs 14 to 16 hours; the American Red Cross adult and pediatric course runs about 6 hours.
Good Samaritan protection. Every Canadian province and US state shields reasonable, good-faith aid. You do not lose that protection by acting.

FAQ

Is this tool a substitute for first-aid training?

No. This is general first-aid guidance to jog your memory when panic hits, not training and not medical advice. The only proper preparation is a hands-on first-aid and CPR course from the Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation. For any life-threatening situation, call 911 first.

Should I call 911 before or after I start helping?

For any life-threatening situation, call 911 first, then act under the dispatcher's guidance. Bystanders often delay calling while they assess. Dispatchers are trained to talk you through CPR, bleeding control, and more while help is on the way.

Why does the tool ask whether the patient is an adult, child, or infant?

Technique changes with size. Infants under 1 never get abdominal thrusts for choking (it can injure the liver); they get back blows and two-finger chest thrusts instead. CPR compression depth also differs: about 2 inches (5 cm) for adults, one-third of chest depth for children, and about 1.5 inches (4 cm) for infants.

Am I protected if I help and something goes wrong?

Good Samaritan protections exist across all 10 Canadian provinces (Quebec frames it as a duty to assist with volunteer protection) and in all 50 US states. They shield bystanders who give reasonable aid in good faith. Acting is almost always better than freezing.

What information should I have ready for paramedics?

Have a list of the person's current medications, known allergies, and recent illnesses ready, plus the time symptoms started for a suspected stroke or heart attack. Paramedics ask the same handful of questions every time, so a written list speeds care.

Bottom line

In a real emergency, the order matters as much as the action: keep yourself safe, call 911 for anything life-threatening, then work the top action while the dispatcher guides you. This tool is a memory aid for that first minute, not a replacement for training. Build the action layer with Home Emergency First-Aid Skills, keep the pace with the CPR Compression Metronome, and book a real first-aid and CPR course this month.