3 August 2026 · 5 min read · First Aid for Families
DRSABCD is the backbone of Australian first aid. It exists because in a real emergency people do not think clearly, and having one order to follow stops you from skipping something that matters. It applies whether you are dealing with a collapse, a drowning, a car accident or a child who has stopped breathing.
Check for danger to yourself, to bystanders and then to the casualty, in that order. It feels counterintuitive to put yourself first, but a rescuer who becomes a second casualty helps nobody. Look for traffic, live electricity, fire, gas, an unstable structure or deep water before you approach.
Squeeze the person's shoulders firmly and ask loudly whether they can hear you. Use their name if you know it. A person who responds is breathing and has a pulse, which changes your priorities entirely. A person who does not respond needs the rest of the sequence immediately.
Call 000, or point at a specific person and tell them to call. A general shout for somebody to call an ambulance often results in nobody calling, because everyone assumes it has been done. Put the phone on speaker so that you can follow the call taker's instructions with your hands free.
Open the mouth and look inside. If there is an obvious obstruction, roll the person onto their side and clear it. Do not sweep a finger blindly. Then tilt the head back gently and lift the chin. For a baby under one, keep the head in a neutral position rather than tilting it back, because their airway is easily kinked.
Look for chest movement, listen for air and feel for breath on your cheek, for up to ten seconds. Occasional noisy gasps are not normal breathing. If the person is breathing normally, place them on their side in the recovery position and monitor them. If they are not, move straight to compressions.
Give thirty compressions followed by two rescue breaths, then repeat. Push in the centre of the chest, about one third of the depth of the chest, at one hundred to one hundred and twenty compressions each minute. For a baby, use two fingers. For a small child, one hand is usually enough. If you are unwilling or unable to give rescue breaths, compressions on their own are far better than doing nothing.
Apply a defibrillator as soon as one arrives and follow the voice prompts. These machines are designed for untrained members of the public, they will not deliver a shock unless one is needed, and early defibrillation is one of the strongest predictors of survival. Many shopping centres, gyms, sporting clubs and community buildings have one on the wall.
Each step protects the one after it. Our Provide First Aid course walks you through the whole sequence on manikins until it becomes automatic under pressure. Book a session near you.
Nationally recognised training with CBD College (RTO 91399). Book online and get your certificate the same day.
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