Emergency Response
The framework for managing emergencies in impact play—built in advance, not improvised in the moment
“Do what the situation requires. Immediately. Without deliberation.”
Why Pre-Determination Matters
The solution is to remove the need for in-the-moment decision-making about the responses that matter most. Before any encounter, the Striker should have already answered: What constitutes a signal that the encounter must be immediately stopped?
What is the order of operations when I stop?
When do I call emergency services? What do I say when I call?
These decisions made in advance, in a calm and considered state, are better decisions than the same decisions made in the moment of an emergency.
Having made them in advance also means the Striker can act on them without the deliberation that consumes the critical seconds after the emergency begins.
―― ? ――
The Emergency Response Framework
Stop impact immediately when:
·?The Receiver uses the safeword or stop signal
·?The Receiver loses consciousness
·?Nerve symptoms appear (tingling, numbness, weakness)
·?Significant skin breaking occurs
·?The Receiver’s breathing or responsiveness changes in a way that signals something beyond normal altered states
·?Your read of the encounter tells you something is wrong, even if you cannot specify what
After stopping impact:
·?Assess the Receiver’s state: Are they conscious and responsive? Are they breathing normally? Do they have any immediately apparent injury?
·?Provide physical stabilization: ensure they are in a safe position, warm, and not at risk of falling or further injury
·?Identify what happened: what were the symptoms, where are they located, when did they begin?
·?Determine whether emergency services are needed: loss of consciousness that does not rapidly resolve, significant nerve symptoms, suspected renal impact, significant blood loss, or any situation where you are genuinely uncertain about their safety all warrant calling emergency services
Calling emergency services: this is the decision that practitioners most often delay unnecessarily.
The delay is typically driven by concerns about how to explain the context.
Medical personnel are obligated to provide care without judgment about context.
The consequences of delayed care are measured in outcomes that would have been prevented by earlier intervention.
Call when you are uncertain. The cost of an unnecessary call is embarrassment.
The cost of a delayed necessary call can be permanent injury.