You are treating a 17-year-old patient who fell out of a tree from a height of approximately 6-8 feet and landed against a wooden picket fence that was near the tree trunk. The patient landed with his right lateral chest striking the fence. The patient is alert and oriented, complains of respiratory distress, and has absent breath sounds over his right thorax. The vital signs reveal a blood pressure of 112/72 mmHg, a heart rate of 102 beats/min and regular, respirations of 20 breaths/min, pulse oximetry of 90% on ambient air, and intact peripheral perfusion. Your partner asks you if he should call for ALS intercept. You respond 'yes' for which reason?

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) assess patients to determine if they are sick and if there are any life threats. The assessment is broken down into five blocks: Scene safety: This block includes: BSI, Standard precautions, Environment, No hazards noted - Primary survey: This is the first part of the assessment and should be completed in 10–15 minutes. It includes: Scene size up, Personal protective equipment (PPE) for body substance isolation (BSI), General impression of the patient, Determine level of consciousness (LOC), Determine chief complaint (CC) and any life threats - History... Show more

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) assess patients to determine if they are sick and if there are any life threats. The assessment is broken down into five blocks:
Scene safety: This block includes: BSI, Standard precautions, Environment, No hazards noted

- Primary survey: This is the first part of the assessment and should be completed in 10–15 minutes. It includes: Scene size up, Personal protective equipment (PPE) for body substance isolation (BSI), General impression of the patient, Determine level of consciousness (LOC), Determine chief complaint (CC) and any life threats
- History taking or Chief Complaint Assessment
- Vital Signs
- Treatment and Reassessment

The primary assessment includes identifying immediate life threats through the ABCs:
Airway: Assess for problems such as an airway obstruction or an airway occluded by blood or vomit
Breathing: Assess the patient's ability to ventilate and oxygenate
Circulation: Assess the patient's ability to perform internal respiration 

Other tips for EMTs include:
Look at the whole patient
Decide whether to oxygenate or ventilate
Determine shock
Search for the signs of Beck's triad
Check for Cushing's triad
Recognize that not all wheezes are asthma
List the causes of altered mental status 

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