When someone is in immediate danger

If someone is in immediate danger, your first and most important action is to contact the local emergency services. In the UK, call 999. In the EU, call 112. In the US, call 911. Do not delay this call to gather more information or to try to handle the situation yourself. Trained responders are equipped for life-threatening situations and need to be alerted as quickly as possible.

While you wait for help to arrive, your role is to provide a safe and calm presence. Do not put yourself at risk. If the scene is hazardous, for example, if there is violence, fire, or a threat of weapons, wait at a safe distance. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ community-based first aid guidance emphasizes checking for danger before approaching (Red Cross Red Crescent, 2020). If it is safe to do so, stay with the person, speak slowly and calmly, and give them space. Avoid sudden movements. Your presence can be a source of stability until professional help arrives.

How to decide what to do: A decision rule

Use this simple decision rule when you encounter someone in immediate danger:

1. Is the person in immediate physical danger? (e.g., unconscious, bleeding severely, having a seizure, being threatened with violence, attempting suicide, or in a hazardous environment)

   • Yes: Call the emergency services immediately (999, 112, 911). Do not attempt to resolve the danger yourself.
   • No: Move to step 2.

2. Is the person in immediate mental health danger? (e.g., actively suicidal, experiencing a severe psychotic episode, or has taken a harmful substance)

   • Yes: Call the emergency services immediately. If you are trained in mental health first aid, you can use the ALGEE model (Assess, Listen, Give reassurance, Encourage professional help, Encourage self-help) developed by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA England, 2021), but only after you have called for professional help. Do not delay the call.
   • No: The situation may not be an immediate crisis. Move to step 3.

3. Are you unsure?

   • Call the emergency services. It is always better to err on the side of caution. The operator can triage the call and send the appropriate response. The NHS advises that for life-threatening situations, you should call 999 and stay on the line with the operator (NHS, 2023).

Your role as a supporter, listener, carer, or volunteer

Your primary duty in an immediate danger situation is to hand off the situation to the professionals. Do not try to be a hero. The following sections explain your role in different contexts.

Support

When someone is in immediate danger, supportive conversation comes after safety. Your first act of support is to call for help. Once you have done that, you can offer calm, non-directive presence. Do not ask questions that require the person to make decisions. Instead, say things like, “I’m here with you. Help is on the way. You don’t need to talk if you don’t want to.” The Samaritans’ model of active listening emphasizes being present without judgement (Samaritans, 2022). This is not the time for problem-solving.

Listening

Active listening in a crisis is about listening to the instructions of the emergency dispatcher and to any immediate needs the person expresses. Do not try to “listen” the person out of the crisis. If the person is speaking, reflect what they say back to them: “You’re saying you can’t breathe. I can hear that. Help is coming.” This is reflective listening, and it builds trust faster than just nodding (Be There, 2021). But remember, your primary job is to relay information to the dispatcher if needed.

Caregiving

If you are an informal carer for someone who is in immediate danger, your role is to call for help and then stay with them until it arrives. Do not attempt to physically restrain or move the person unless they are in immediate physical danger (e.g., a fire). Carers UK advises that for life-threatening situations, you must call 999 (Carers UK, 2022). After the crisis has passed, you will need to arrange for your own support, as this is a highly stressful event.

Volunteering

If you are a volunteer with a mutual aid group or a community organisation, your guidelines should be clear: you do not intervene in dangerous situations. The standard for volunteer safety is to never enter hazardous situations and to wait for trained responders (Volunteer Management Standards, 2021). Your role is to call 999 and, if your organisation has a designated safeguarding lead, to inform them immediately after the call. Do not share details of the incident with other volunteers; that is gossip, not a safeguarding concern.

Mutual aid

Mutual aid is built on reciprocity and non-hierarchical support. In an immediate danger situation, the hierarchy is clear: the emergency services lead. Your role in a mutual aid network is to ensure that the person in danger is connected to professional responders and that the network does not try to solve the crisis internally. After the immediate danger has passed, the network can offer practical support, meals, transport, company, but only once the person is safe and consenting.

Safeguarding and the duty to report

If the immediate danger involves a child or an adult at risk of abuse or neglect, you must also contact the local authority safeguarding team after the emergency services have been called. A safeguarding concern is a specific, observable risk of harm that you report to a designated authority; it is not gossip (Care Act 2014, England). In the UK, each local authority has a safeguarding team. In the US, you can contact Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services. Do not assume that someone else will make the report. If you have a concern, you report it.

What not to do

• Do not accept “I’m fine” at face value if you have clear evidence of immediate danger. Research from the Be There framework shows that 70% of friends accept “I’m fine” at face value (Be There, 2021). In a crisis, you must act on what you see, not on what you are told.
• Do not try to take over. Your job is to call for help, not to solve the problem. Taking over removes the person’s agency and can make the situation worse.
• Do not give unsolicited advice. This is the “advice avalanche” failure mode. It shuts down communication and can feel dismissive.
• Do not promise to keep secrets that involve immediate danger. If someone tells you they are planning to harm themselves or someone else, you cannot keep that confidential. You must act to keep them safe.

After the immediate danger has passed

Once the emergency services have taken over, your role changes. You may be asked to provide a statement or to stay in touch with the person. If you are an informal carer, you may need to arrange for respite care or a carer’s assessment through your local authority. In England, the Care Act 2014 gives you a legal right to a carer’s assessment (Care Act 2014, England). In the US, the Family Caregiver Alliance provides state-by-state resources (Family Caregiver Alliance, 2022).

If you are a volunteer or mutual aid member, check in with your own emotional wellbeing. The 60% volunteer dropout rate within three months is often caused by emotional overwhelm and lack of boundaries (Mutual Aid Volunteer Data, 2022). Take a break, talk to a peer supporter, and do not feel guilty for stepping back.

Key principles to remember

• Consent: Always ask before giving help, and accept a “no” without pressure. In a crisis, consent is assumed for the call to emergency services, but not for anything else.
• Empathy, not sympathy: Empathy is feeling with someone (“I can imagine that must be hard”). Sympathy is feeling for them (“I feel so sorry for you”), which can feel distancing.
• Boundaries: Supporters who do not set limits burn out and become unable to help. The Carer Strain Index shows that supporters who take regular breaks score 40% lower on strain (Carer Strain Index, 2020).
• Warm handoff: When referring someone to a service, introduce them directly rather than just giving a number. Warm handoffs achieve 80% follow-through compared to 20% for a phone number on a card (Service Referral Data, 2021).