The first 10 minutes
A calm sequence for active danger, severe bleeding, fire, utilities and accounting for people.
Critical caution: Do not enter damaged structures, floodwater, fire fronts or contaminated zones to retrieve supplies.
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Outcome
- Prevent the first emergency causing more casualties
Survival lens: The survival mindset is applied as a strict priority ladder: danger first, then people, then essential systems. The goal is not perfect control—it is to stop deterioration.
Before you begin
- Do not enter a hazard to retrieve gear
- Keep a clear exit behind you
- Call emergency services if functioning
What you need
- Sturdy shoes and gloves
- First-aid kit
- Torch or headlamp
- Phone, radio and whistle
- Essential medicines
Step-by-step procedure
- Scan before moving. Look for fire, smoke direction, falling material, live wires, gas smell, floodwater, violence and traffic. Listen for alarms and structural movement.
- Move to relative safety. Use the shortest route away from the active hazard. Take people, animals and critical mobility aids only if immediately accessible.
- Check response and breathing. Check whether each person responds and breathes normally. If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR (see the DRSABCD guide) and follow the emergency call-taker.
- Stop life-threatening bleeding. Use firm direct pressure. Use a commercial tourniquet for life-threatening limb bleeding when trained or when direct pressure cannot control it. Note the application time.
- Account and communicate. Use names. Mark each person safe, missing, injured or away. Send one concise message: location, hazard, people, injuries and action required.
- Stabilise the site. Only when safe, isolate damaged utilities you understand, extinguish a small fire with a clear exit, and fill clean water containers while supply remains.
How to check it is working
- All people and animals accounted for
- No active fire, gas or electrical hazard in the occupied zone
- Severe bleeding controlled
- A shelter-or-evacuate decision has a review time
Common mistakes
- Creating a second casualty
- Re-entering for possessions
- Turning utilities off without knowing how they can be restored
- Moving an injured person when no hazard requires it
Sources and further reading
- Australian Red Cross: Prepare for emergencies — get packing
- Australian Resuscitation Council (ANZCOR guidelines)
How this guide was checked
Official-source aligned: Aligned with Australian Red Cross preparedness and ANZCOR first-aid principles
Independent specialist review: not yet completed. How review works.
Last updated: Nov 2026 · edition 1.0.
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