CCO First Aid and Emergency Response 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A facility protocol requires officers to document emergency medical interventions. Which piece of information is MOST critical to record when documenting a bleeding control intervention?
- The inmate's housing unit assignment
- The time the tourniquet was applied (Correct answer)
- The officer's shift number
- The name of the backup officer present
Correct answer: The time the tourniquet was applied
Tourniquet application time is critical because prolonged use beyond 2 hours significantly increases risk of limb loss.
Question 2: When an inmate is choking and cannot cough, speak, or breathe, the recommended intervention for a conscious adult is:
- Back blows only, repeated 10 times
- Abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) (Correct answer)
- Blind finger sweeps to remove the object
- Place the inmate supine and attempt rescue breaths
Correct answer: Abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver)
Abdominal thrusts create sudden upward pressure that can dislodge a foreign body airway obstruction in a conscious adult.
Question 3: A corrections officer finds an inmate with pinpoint pupils, slow respirations of 6/min, and cyanosis. This presentation is most consistent with:
- Stimulant overdose
- Alcohol intoxication
- Opioid overdose (Correct answer)
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
Correct answer: Opioid overdose
The opioid overdose triad includes pinpoint pupils, respiratory depression, and altered consciousness or cyanosis.
Question 4: Universal precautions in a correctional setting require officers to treat ALL blood and body fluids as if they are:
- Low risk unless the inmate has a known diagnosis
- Potentially infectious regardless of the inmate's known medical status (Correct answer)
- Non-infectious unless visibly contaminated with feces
- Safe to handle without gloves for brief contact under 30 seconds
Correct answer: Potentially infectious regardless of the inmate's known medical status
Universal precautions assume all blood and body fluids are potentially infectious with bloodborne pathogens such as HIV or hepatitis.
Question 5: An officer is performing CPR on an inmate when the AED analyzes the rhythm and advises 'No shock recommended.' The officer should:
- Stop CPR and call EMS for guidance
- Immediately resume CPR (Correct answer)
- Re-analyze with the AED again after 30 seconds
- Check for a pulse before resuming CPR
Correct answer: Immediately resume CPR
When the AED advises no shock, it means the rhythm is non-shockable — CPR must be resumed immediately to maintain perfusion.
Question 6: During a facility lockdown, an officer cannot immediately access EMS. An inmate has a partial-thickness burn covering the forearm. The first aid priority is to:
- Apply butter or oil to soothe the burn area
- Cool the burn with cool (not cold/iced) running water for 10–20 minutes (Correct answer)
- Break any blisters to release fluid and reduce pressure
- Cover tightly with an adhesive bandage to prevent infection
Correct answer: Cool the burn with cool (not cold/iced) running water for 10–20 minutes
Cool running water for 10–20 minutes reduces tissue temperature and limits the depth of burn injury.
Question 7: An inmate is struck in the eye with a foreign object and the object remains embedded. The officer should:
- Remove the object immediately with clean tweezers
- Irrigate the eye vigorously with saline to dislodge the object
- Stabilize the object in place and cover both eyes with loose dressings (Correct answer)
- Have the inmate blink rapidly to naturally expel the object
Correct answer: Stabilize the object in place and cover both eyes with loose dressings
Embedded eye objects must be stabilized, not removed; covering both eyes reduces sympathetic eye movement that could worsen injury.
CCO First Aid and Emergency Response 5
A facility protocol requires officers to document emergency medical interventions.
Which piece of information is MOST critical to record when documenting a bleeding control intervention?