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First aid · Australia

Unresponsive person

Check for a response and normal breathing. Call 000, start CPR if they are not breathing normally, and use an AED when available.

Medical emergency? Call 000

What to do

  1. Check safety

    Make sure the scene is safe.

  2. Check response

    Talk loudly and tap the shoulders to check for a response.

  3. Call 000

    Call 000 and send for an AED.

  4. Check breathing

    Open the airway and check for normal breathing for up to 10 seconds.

    Avoid: Waiting to find a pulse instead of checking response and normal breathing.

    Take care. Do not mistake occasional gasps for normal breathing.

  5. Breathing normally: recovery position

    If breathing normally, place them in the recovery position and keep checking their breathing.

    Take care. Do not give food, drink or medication to an unresponsive person.

    Take care. Do not leave them unattended if help is available.

  6. Not breathing normally: CPR

    If not breathing normally, start CPR.

Know when to act

When to get help

  • Any unresponsive person needs urgent assessment. Call 000 immediately if they are not responding or not breathing normally.

Children and babies

  • Use the 000 call-taker instructions for infants and children.

Keep checking

  • Stay with them and keep the airway open. Recheck breathing continuously. If breathing becomes abnormal, roll them onto their back and start CPR.
  • Tell the ambulance crew when they became unresponsive, what you observed and what first aid you gave.

What you may notice

  • The person does not answer your voice or a gentle shoulder touch.
  • Normal breathing is absent, slow, irregular or replaced by occasional gasps.
  • If they are breathing normally, they still need 000 and continuous monitoring.

When help arrives

  • Tell the call-taker or ambulance crew when the person was last seen responsive and what you observed.
  • If normal breathing changes, follow the CPR pathway and the 000 call-taker instructions immediately.

Sources and last update

Content updated: 6 September 2026.

These sources inform the guidance. This independent resource is not a substitute for a first aid course or medical assessment. An editorial update is not independent clinical review. Source organisations have not endorsed this site.

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