New Jersey State Police
BLS First Responder Program

Your Role as a First Responder

As an NJSP trooper, you arrive before EMS and hold the line. Your job is scene safety, initial life-saving interventions, and handoff. You are buying time — not replacing paramedics.

Hemorrhage Control

Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading preventable cause of death in trauma. Stop it immediately.

• Direct pressure: First line for all wounds. Press hard and hold. Don't lift to check — it disrupts clot formation.
• Tourniquet: For extremity hemorrhage not controlled by pressure or amputation. Apply 2–3 inches proximal (above) the wound. Tighten until bleeding stops. Note the time on the tourniquet and patient's skin.
• Never remove a tourniquet in the field once applied — only a physician at a hospital removes it.

Cardiac Arrest: CPR and AED

Unresponsive, not breathing normally = cardiac arrest. Start CPR and get the AED immediately. Every minute without compressions reduces survival by 10%.

• Compressions: 100–120/min, 2–2.4 inches deep, allow full recoil, 30:2 ratio
• Apply AED pads immediately — follow prompts exactly
• Resume CPR immediately after every shock — don't pause to check a pulse first
• Minimize all interruptions to <10 seconds

Opioid Overdose — Naloxone (Narcan)

The triad: pinpoint pupils + slow/absent breathing + decreased LOC.

• Dose: 0.4 mg intranasal — one spray (0.2 mg) per nostril
• If no response in 2–3 minutes, repeat with a second dose
• Manage airway throughout — recovery position or rescue breathing if not breathing
• All overdoses require EMS transport — naloxone wears off before the opioid does

Anaphylaxis — Epinephrine IM

Hives + respiratory distress or hypotension = anaphylaxis. Epinephrine is the only effective treatment — don't delay.

• Dose: 0.3 mg IM, mid-outer thigh (anterolateral)
• Can repeat in 5–15 minutes if no improvement
• Transport all anaphylaxis — the reaction can return when epinephrine wears off

Hypoglycemia — Oral Glucose

• Signs: confusion, shakiness, sweating, weakness in a diabetic patient
• Only give oral glucose if the patient is conscious and can swallow
• Unconscious hypoglycemic patients require IV dextrose (ALS) — never give oral glucose to an unconscious patient

Airway Basics

• Head-tilt chin-lift for unconscious patients (no suspected spine injury)
• Jaw-thrust if spinal injury is suspected
• Recovery position for unconscious but breathing patients
• BVM ventilations if patient is not breathing or breathing inadequately
• Suction secretions, vomit, or blood — gurgling means fluid in the airway

EMS Handoff Report

When EMS arrives, give a clear, brief verbal report covering:

• Patient age, sex, chief complaint
• What you found on arrival (mental status, breathing, pulse, visible injuries)
• Interventions performed and exact time (tourniquet, Narcan, epi — note times)
• Patient response to your interventions
• Current status