You need the ARC Basic Life Support chart because someone’s life might depend on you knowing what to do. Whether you’re refreshing your skills for credentialing, preparing for a course, or want a quick reference for emergencies, having the official flowchart matters. But finding the right version and understanding how to apply each step can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to get it right.
The ANZCOR Basic Life Support flowchart uses DRSABCD as its framework. This action plan guides you through every critical decision, from checking for dangers to attaching a defibrillator. Each letter represents a specific action you need to take, in order, to give someone the best chance of survival during a cardiac arrest or medical emergency.
This guide walks you through the complete ARC Basic Life Support chart step by step. You’ll learn what each part of DRSABCD means, when to move to the next action, and how to perform the techniques correctly. We’ll show you where to download the official chart and explain the clinical reasoning behind each decision point so you can act with confidence when seconds count.
What the ARC basic life support chart covers
The arc basic life support chart is a one-page flowchart that maps out every critical decision you need to make during an emergency. Published by the Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation (ANZCOR), this chart shows you when to assess, when to act, and when to move to the next step. You can download the official PDF from the ANZCOR website for free, and it’s designed to work as both a learning tool and a quick reference during actual emergencies.
The DRSABCD framework explained
The chart follows the DRSABCD action plan, which stands for seven sequential steps that guide your response. Each letter represents a specific assessment or intervention you perform before moving forward. You start at D (Dangers) and work through each step until you reach the final D (Defibrillator), but the sequence isn’t always linear because you may need to repeat certain steps based on what you find.
DRSABCD breaks down into these components:
- D = Dangers (check the scene is safe)
- R = Responsive (check if the person responds to you)
- S = Send for help (call 000 and get an AED)
- A = Airway (open and clear the airway)
- B = Breathing (check for normal breathing)
- C = CPR (start compressions and rescue breaths)
- D = Defibrillator (attach and use the AED)
The flowchart uses decision diamonds and action boxes to show you exactly what happens at each point. Diamond shapes mean you need to assess something and make a decision. Rectangular boxes tell you to take a specific action. Arrows connect everything in the order you should follow, and the chart includes separate pathways for responsive versus unresponsive patients.
The ANZCOR guidelines state that any attempt at resuscitation is better than no attempt, so the chart is designed to be usable by anyone, not just healthcare professionals.
Step 1. Scan for danger and check response
The arc basic life support chart starts with danger assessment because you can’t help anyone if you become a casualty yourself. This first step requires you to visually scan the entire scene before you make physical contact with the person who needs help. You’re looking for anything that could harm you, the patient, or bystanders, and you need to make this assessment in seconds.
Checking for dangers before approaching
Your danger scan should cover both obvious and hidden hazards that might not be immediately visible. You need to check the ground, the surrounding area, and any equipment or structures nearby. Environmental dangers can include traffic, unstable surfaces, fire, smoke, electrical hazards, or dangerous weather conditions. Biological hazards such as blood, vomit, sharps, or chemical spills also require your attention.
Look for these specific dangers:
- Moving vehicles or machinery
- Electrical cables or exposed wiring
- Flames, smoke, or toxic fumes
- Unstable structures or falling objects
- Deep or fast-flowing water
- Aggressive people or animals
- Needles, broken glass, or sharp objects
- Chemical spills or leaks
If you identify an imminent danger that you cannot safely control, move the person only if absolutely necessary. The general rule is to avoid moving someone unless staying puts them or you at greater risk of harm.
Assessing if the person is responsive
Once you’ve confirmed the scene is safe, you check for response using the talk and touch method. First, speak loudly and clearly to the person by asking "Can you hear me?" or "Are you okay?" while leaning close to their face. If they don’t respond to your voice, firmly squeeze their shoulders and repeat your question.
A person who shows no response or only minimal response (such as groaning without opening their eyes) should be treated as unresponsive and requires immediate life support.
Watch for any purposeful movement, eye-opening, or verbal response to your stimulation. Someone who is truly unresponsive will not react to either verbal commands or physical touch.
Step 2. Send for help and open the airway
Once you’ve confirmed the person is unresponsive, the arc basic life support chart directs you to immediately activate emergency services and open their airway. These two actions happen simultaneously if you have bystanders available, or in rapid sequence if you’re alone. Time matters critically here because every minute without oxygen damages the brain, and you need advanced life support arriving as fast as possible.
Getting help on the way immediately
You need to call 000 straight away and tell them you have an unresponsive person who needs help. If other people are nearby, point to a specific person and give them direct instructions: "You in the blue shirt, call triple zero now and tell them we need an ambulance." Being specific prevents the bystander effect where everyone assumes someone else will act.
Ask someone to retrieve an AED while you stay with the patient. Give the same direct instruction format: "You, go get the defibrillator from reception and bring it here now." If you’re alone with the patient, you need to make the call yourself before continuing with the next steps. Put your phone on speaker so you can keep your hands free and follow any instructions from the emergency dispatcher.
Healthcare workers in hospital settings should activate their facility’s emergency response system instead of calling 000. This typically means pressing the emergency button or calling the medical emergency team code. You should know your workplace’s specific procedures and code numbers before an emergency happens.
Opening and clearing the airway
An unresponsive person’s tongue can fall backward and block their airway completely, cutting off all oxygen. You fix this by performing the head tilt/chin lift maneuver. Place one hand on their forehead and apply gentle backward pressure while using your other hand to lift their chin upward. This movement pulls the tongue away from the back of the throat and opens the airway passage.
Managing the patient’s airway takes priority over any other injury, including suspected spinal injury, according to ANZCOR guidelines.
Before checking breathing, you need to clear any visible obstructions from the mouth. Turn the person’s head slightly to the side and look inside their mouth for food, vomit, blood, or foreign objects. Use your fingers to sweep out anything you can see, but never do a blind finger sweep as you might push an obstruction deeper. If you see liquid, tilt their head downward to let gravity drain it out.
Step 3. Check breathing and start CPR
With the airway open, you now need to assess whether the person is breathing normally or not. The arc basic life support chart shows this as a critical decision point because your next actions depend entirely on what you find. You’re checking for normal breathing patterns, not just any chest movement, because agonal gasps (irregular, laboured breaths) are a sign of cardiac arrest and mean you need to start CPR immediately.
Looking, listening and feeling for normal breathing
You need to spend no more than 10 seconds checking for breathing. Place your cheek close to the person’s mouth and nose while keeping their airway open. Look at their chest and upper abdomen to see if they rise and fall. Listen for air sounds escaping from their nose and mouth. Feel for breath against your cheek.
Normal breathing means you can see regular chest movement, hear clear breath sounds, and feel steady air movement. Abnormal or absent breathing includes no chest movement, no breath sounds, gasping, or very slow and irregular breathing patterns. If you find any of these signs, you must treat this as a cardiac arrest and begin CPR straight away.
Someone who is unresponsive and not breathing normally needs CPR within four minutes to prevent permanent brain damage.
Performing chest compressions correctly
Start compressions immediately if breathing is absent or abnormal. Place the heel of one hand in the centre of the person’s lower sternum (the breastbone) and put your other hand on top of the first. Interlock your fingers and position yourself directly above the person’s chest with your arms straight and shoulders directly over your hands.
Push down firmly so the sternum compresses about one-third of the chest depth (more than 5 cm in adults). Each compression needs to be delivered at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute, which equals roughly two compressions per second. Let the chest recoil completely between each compression without lifting your hands off the chest. Your compression rhythm should stay regular and consistent throughout.
Giving rescue breaths between compressions
After every 30 compressions, you need to give two rescue breaths. Maintain the head tilt/chin lift position, take a normal breath, and seal your mouth completely over the person’s mouth. Pinch their nostrils closed with your fingers and blow steadily for about one second while watching for their chest to rise.
Each breath should make the chest visibly rise, but avoid blowing too hard or too fast as this can force air into the stomach instead of the lungs. After the first breath, lift your mouth away, let the chest fall, then give the second breath. Immediately return to chest compressions after delivering both breaths and continue the 30:2 cycle without stopping until help arrives or an AED becomes available.
Keep repeating this 30 compressions to 2 breaths pattern continuously. If you’re not trained in rescue breaths or unwilling to give them, perform continuous chest compressions without stopping. Compression-only CPR is still effective and far better than doing nothing.
Step 4. Use an AED and continue through DRSABCD
The final D in the arc basic life support chart represents the automated external defibrillator (AED), which can restart a heart that has stopped beating effectively. You attach the AED as soon as it arrives while continuing CPR until the device is ready to analyse the heart rhythm. The AED will guide you through every step with voice prompts, so you don’t need to remember complex instructions during the emergency.
Attaching the AED pads correctly
You need to expose the person’s bare chest completely before applying the pads. Remove clothing, jewellery, and any medication patches you find. If the chest is wet from sweat or water, dry it quickly with a towel or clothing to ensure the pads stick properly. Hair might prevent good contact, so you may need to shave the area quickly or press the pads down firmly.
Place the first pad just below the right collarbone on the upper right side of the chest. Position the second pad below the left armpit on the lower left side of the ribs. The pads usually show diagrams of exactly where they should go. Make sure the pads lie flat against the skin without any air bubbles or wrinkles, and check that the pad wires connect firmly to the AED unit.
The chance of survival decreases by 10% for every minute without defibrillation, so speed matters when attaching the AED.
Following the AED prompts and resuming CPR
Once the pads are attached, the AED will analyse the heart rhythm automatically. You must stop touching the person during this analysis and make sure everyone else stands clear. The device will tell you clearly when to stand back. If a shock is needed, the AED will charge itself and instruct you to press the shock button. Make absolutely certain nobody is touching the person before you deliver the shock.
Immediately restart CPR after the shock is delivered, beginning with chest compressions. Continue the 30:2 compression-to-breath ratio for two full minutes before the AED analyses the rhythm again. If no shock is advised, the AED will tell you to continue CPR straight away. Keep following this pattern of CPR and AED analysis cycles until the person starts breathing normally, advanced help arrives, or you become physically unable to continue.
Bringing it all together
The arc basic life support chart gives you a clear, sequential framework for responding to medical emergencies. You now understand how DRSABCD guides you from that initial danger check through to defibrillation, and why each step builds on the previous one. The flowchart removes guesswork by showing you exactly when to assess, when to act, and when to move forward.
Knowing the chart is one thing, but building the muscle memory and confidence to apply it under pressure requires hands-on practice with expert guidance. Parasol Medical Training delivers nationally accredited ALS courses across Australia where you’ll practise these exact scenarios with simulation technology and experienced instructors. Book your ALS course today to turn your knowledge of the basic life support chart into practical skills you can trust when someone’s life depends on your response.
