As emergency in the first assistance cases are designated, with which it comes to a live-threatening disturbance of the vital parameters consciousness, respiration and cycle or the function cycles water electrolyte household, acid Basen household, temperature household and metabolism.

In a broader sense one seizes also psychological emergency situations as for example self intents to kill or Psychosen as well as force under the emergency term (see also: Psychiatric crisis).

Emergencies are all situations, in which danger for life and limb exists the concerning, i.e. the emergency patient. In the center of the first assistance thereby the Sicherstellung of the vital functions (consciousness, respiration and cycle) are located.

The good co-operation of all is important took part the rescue chain, i.e. Ersthelfer, emergency service etc., in order to lose no time in emergencies. For the emergency call into all states of the European Union as well as Switzerland the emergency call telephone number 112 is available, by which one is connected immediately with a directing center of the emergency service.

                                 +----------+ | emergency | +----------+/| \/| \ S t  r u n g v o n/| \ +------------+ +-------+ +----------+ | consciousness | | respiration | | cycle | +------------+ +-------+ +----------+ \ |/\ |/\ |/+--------------------------+ |Gefahr the Unterversorgung | | the brain | | with oxygen | +--------------------------+ 

Influence of the social and cultural surrounding field

First assistance to carry out is for each humans an ethical obligation. This results from the standards, value conceptions and moral-ethical principles, which apply in our western culture and which thinking and acting humans affect. Therefore the life and the health are considered as particularly valuable property and therefore are certainly desirable it to use itself for their preservation. First assistance to carry out is called thus for taking social responsibility because one is part of a community, whose rules one accepts and occurs for which one.

Concerning the social obligation to the first assistance one speaks also of the principle of the mutuality; because who expected that others help it in a state of distress, it must be even ready to give this assistance others.

Many religions teach the welfare service and assistance for the next one, so for example the next love in the Christianity or the compassion in the Buddhismus.

Apart from the social, ethical and legal motives, which the potential Ersthelfer from its surrounding field refers, also still further factors participate, which increase or decrease the motivation in each case for assistance. For example:

• Characteristics of the potential aid (technical ability, authority feeling, sex and age of the aid; Time, at which the first aid training took place; past experiences with emergencies, personality of the Ersthelfers, religious and social attitude of the aid)

• Perception of the emergency. The emergency must be recognized as such. That one becomes attentive to a certain event and recognizes the perception as situation, which can become threatening for the health of the concerning, is an absolute condition for the first assistance. Above all humans be in large cities, which are gestresst, at time pressure and hectically from date to date hurry, notice an emergency every now and then not. In rural regions the probability that help is rendered, is larger. Here however not the helpfulness in cities or of the environment iherer on the country living humans, but the quality of the perception is different.

• Characteristics of the concerning. Children rather helped as adults, because they appear needy. If a certain debt at its situation can be attributed to the concerning, this lowers the helpfulness. In the unconscious faith in a "fair world" the emergency situation is regarded as punishment for a failure, which the hurt one or gotten sick one has almost "earned". In addition of importance are sex and appearance as well as the relationship of the potential aid to the concerning.

• Characteristics of the situation. In the dwelling of a friend one renders rather help as on a lonely highway; in accidents on the job rather helped as in the traffic. If only one person is affected by the emergency happening, one will rather think oneself the assistance capable of as for example in an accident with e.g. five or more took part. A substantial role plays also the presence of other humans: If except the potential aid and the concerning nobody is at the emergency place, the probability that one helps, is just as small as with presence of a quantity of look-merry, whose views and comments the Ersthelfer would have to expose itself. Against it a group from seven or eight persons works itself favorably (positive group dynamics). Besides the time of day is along also for it whether one helps or not.

• Cost benefit analysis

Legal

Omitted assistance

After paragraph 323c (so mentioned "everyone paragraph") of the penal code (StGB) with imprisonment up to one year or with fine is punished, "who with accidents or common danger or emergency not assistance carries out, although this is possible for it necessarily and after the circumstances to zuzumuten, in particular without substantial own danger and without injury of other obligations".

Each humans are thus legally obligated to the assistance.

This does not apply however, if help is already rendered in sufficient form (for example by a physician present at the accident place) and own intervention is no longer necessary.

The legal obligation to the first assistance is limited besides by the reasonableness of the assistance. Of a woman one cannot require for example that she rises at night on a lonely road from her vehicle, if she has the justified suspicion to be attacked. That could be for example the case, if a situation is not clearly recognizable as traffic accident.

One is likewise not obligated to help at the emergency place if one would go thereby in danger. For example a nonswimmer does not have to jump in the water, if a drowning must be saved. Nobody can require that one enters a burning dwelling, in order to save an unconscious one.

Legal claims against the Ersthelfer

Many humans have fear to be made somewhat wrong and for it punished with the first assistance. This concern is unfounded: If first aid measures should to damages to property (for example at the clothes) or to health impairments of the concerning lead, the Ersthelfer cannot be criminally sued, if it acted after best knowledge and with greatest possible care. The aid is made liable only, if resolution, i.e. intentional failure or rough negligence to be proven to be able; usually this is to be excluded however. Apart from the fact damage is many more probable and more serious by omitted assistance than by not completely correct assistance.

If a Ersthelfer with good intention informs the emergency service - however however it turns out that this was not necessary, he does not have to bear the developed cost. The Ersthelfer clings again then only if it alarms the emergency service deliberately wrongly.

If the Ersthelfer commits an irregularity or a criminal offence during its assistance, this is possibly justified (lawyers speak of the "justifying state of emergency") and therefore not punishable. If it gives to telephone no other possibility, the Ersthelfer may hit for example a windowpane of an alone standing house, in order to set from the there telephone the emergency call off. The fact that by the notification of the emergency service a human life is possibly saved, weighs clearly more heavily than the described criminal offences damage and Hausfriedensbruch.

Legal claims of the Ersthelfers

If a damage to the property of the aid (for example at the clothes or at the own vehicle) should have developed with the first assistance, for it either the liability insurance of the hurt one or the legal accident insurance carrier is responsible. The social legislation (SGB 7) regulates that each Ersthelfer is insured against all damages to property and person noncontributory, those it during the assistance possibly happened. Therefore the Ersthelfer has for example also requirement on free welfare treatment, professional aid and later hurting pension, if it suffers health damage during the assistance.

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