What is the first thing you should do in an emergency?

In any emergency situation, the priority should always be to ensure personal safety before taking any further action. Assessing your safety means evaluating the immediate environment to determine if you are in danger and if it is safe to act, as well as identifying potential hazards. Recognizing whether you need to call for help is crucial; if the situation poses a threat to your safety or that of others, alerting emergency services can be life-saving.

Choosing to contain the situation without first assessing your own safety can lead to personal harm or exacerbate the emergency. While evacuating the building may become necessary, it should be done after you evaluate your surroundings to ensure that the exit is safe. Informing your supervisor while taking action may be important, but it should follow the assessment of safety; one should not take immediate action before ensuring it won't result in further risk.

Thus, prioritizing safety assessments serves as the foundational step in effectively managing an emergency, paving the way for appropriate action to follow.