Be Ready to Help: A Civilian’s Guide to Triage in Emergencies

Edited by Roberto Mugavero, Aidana Sissenberdiyeva and Dean Brown

San Marino, 2026

ISBN: 9788860862839
DOI: 10.23810/CEMEC-9

In an era where natural disasters, technological failures, and intentional acts of violence are increasingly frequent and can cause significant number of casualties, commonly known as Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs), the safety, early recognition, treatment and transport of individuals caught up in such incidents are key priorities. As a result of these or other events you may well find yourself as the first, or one of the first people at a scene with multiple patients and therefore could be a crucial link in the process of these individuals receiving care. This handbook provides active bystanders with the knowledge and understanding needed to assist and potentially undertake an initial triage of a scene where there are multiple patients. This booklet should be read as an adjunct to the CEMEC Handbook “Safety and Emergency Guidelines for Active Bystanders in Natural, Technological, and Intentional Incidents”. Through this manual, you will gain insight into situational awareness, learn about history of triage, the principles of triage, types of incidents, emergency services role and what you as one of the first people on scene can potentially do in triaging patients in an emergency or Mass Casualty Incident.