First aid basics
Call for help, stop heavy bleeding with firm pressure, and do hands-only CPR if someone collapses. Take a course.
First
- 1Make sure the scene is safe for you.
- 2Call your local emergency number (911 in the US and Canada, 112 in Europe and India). Put the phone on speaker so you can keep your hands free.
Heavy bleeding
- 1Find where the blood is coming from.
- 2Press hard directly on the wound with a clean cloth or gauze and keep pressing. Add more cloth on top rather than lifting the first layer.
- 3For a deep wound on an arm or leg, pack it tightly with gauze or cloth and keep pressing.
- 4If bleeding from a limb will not stop, apply a tourniquet high on the limb, above the wound, and tighten until the bleeding stops. Note the time.
Someone collapses and isn't breathing normally
- 1Call for help and send someone for an AED (defibrillator) if one is nearby.
- 2Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest: at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, 100–120 pushes a minute. Let the chest come back up after each push.
- 3Keep going until help arrives or the AED tells you to stop. Turn the AED on and follow its voice prompts.
Burns
- 1Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 10 minutes. Do not use ice.
- 2Remove rings or tight items before swelling starts, and cover loosely with clean plastic wrap or a non-stick dressing.
- 3Get medical help for large burns, burns on the face, hands or genitals, or any burn on a child.
Learn it properly
- 1Reading is not training. A short course (Red Cross, St John Ambulance, Stop the Bleed) makes you much more effective under stress.
Sources
A summary of the sources above, not a substitute for official instructions or medical advice. In an emergency, follow your local authorities and call your emergency number.