The First Five Minutes

Reading passage — قطعة القراءة

When a visitor fell near the entrance to a youth centre, several people rushed towards him. Some wanted to lift him immediately, while others started giving different instructions. Nour, who had attended a basic first-aid awareness session, asked the group to leave enough space and contact the emergency service. She reminded them that an untrained person should not guess what treatment was needed.

While one adult made the emergency call, Nour described the location clearly and reported only what she could actually observe. Another volunteer guided people away from the doorway so responders would have a clear route. The group followed the emergency operator's instructions and avoided moving the visitor unnecessarily. Nour kept her voice calm even though she was worried.

Medical professionals arrived and took responsibility for the situation. Later, Nour's instructor explained that safe emergency support requires recognising hazards, asking for qualified help and giving accurate information. The volunteers arranged another training session to understand their limits more clearly. Nour learned that being helpful is not the same as trying to perform every medical action yourself.