Emergency Response: the full procedure

The business-side response to a medical, fire, weather, or injury emergency — clear the area, call 911, retrieve the AED, support trained responders, and document.

• Applies to: All staff on shift.
• Frequency: As needed; reviewed and drilled periodically.
• Scope: Describes the facility’s operational response only. ALL medical care defers to 911, EMS, and trained responders following the facility Emergency Action Plan and their current certifications.

What you need

• Facility Emergency Action Plan
• AED
• First-aid kit
• Phone
• Incident report form

The procedure, step by step

1. Recognize & activate the EAP — The moment an emergency is identified, activate the facility Emergency Action Plan and alert the nearest trained staff member.
2. Call 911 first — Designate one person to call 911, give the facility address and access details, and stay on the line until told to hang up.
3. Clear & control the area — Move other members back to give responders room, keep walkways and the entrance clear, and prevent crowding.
4. Retrieve the AED & first-aid kit — Send someone to bring the AED and first-aid kit to the scene — trained responders, not bystanders, operate them.
5. Trained responder leads care — A current CPR/AED-certified staff member provides care within their training using the Call-Push-Shock approach until EMS arrives.
6. Guide EMS in — Post a staff member at the entrance to meet paramedics and lead them directly to the patient.
7. Fire / evacuation / severe weather — For fire, evacuate via posted routes to the muster point and account for staff; for severe weather, move members to the designated shelter area per the EAP.
8. Document the incident — After EMS takes over, complete the incident report with facts, times, and witnesses — do not record medical opinions or diagnoses.

Quality check before you finish

• EAP activated immediately.
• 911 called with address and access info.
• Area cleared and controlled for responders.
• AED and first-aid kit retrieved.
• Care provided only by current-certified responders.
• EMS met and guided to the patient.
• Incident documented factually after the event.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Gym & Fitness Studio business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• American Heart Association — Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (heart.org)
• NATA — Emergency Action Plan Development Position Statement (nata.org)
• ACSM / Human Kinetics — Health-Fitness Facility Standards (humankinetics.com)