For basic first aid, check safety, call for help, stop heavy bleeding, keep air moving, and stay with the person until responders arrive.
Emergencies feel messy. A calm plan helps. This guide gives plain steps you can use anywhere: at home, on the road, or at work. You’ll learn how to scan the area, give life-saving care in the right order, and avoid common mistakes that slow help or add harm.
First Aid: How To Act Fast And Right
Your goal is simple: keep the person alive and stable until trained crews take over. Start with a quick scene check. If the area is unsafe, move yourself to a safer spot first. Next, try to get a response: speak clearly, tap a shoulder, and look for normal breathing. If the person isn’t responding or breathing normally, call your local emergency number and put your phone on speaker so you can keep working.
The Priority Flow
Use this order when seconds count. It keeps you focused on the problems that kill first.
| Step | What To Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Scene | Scan for fire, traffic, electricity, chemicals. Put on gloves if you have them. | You can’t help if you’re hurt too. |
| Shout & Tap | Ask, “Are you okay?” Tap the shoulder; check for normal breath. | Find out who needs action now. |
| Call | Phone the emergency number; put it on speaker. Send someone to get an AED. | Faster help and a defibrillator save lives. |
| Airway | Lay the person flat on a firm surface. Tilt the head and lift the chin if no spine risk. | Opens the throat so air can pass. |
| Breathing | If not breathing normally, start chest presses. Add rescue breaths only if trained. | Buys time for the heart and brain. |
| Bleeding | Find heavy bleeding. Press hard with a clean cloth or use a tourniquet on a limb. | Stops the fastest killer you can treat. |
| Watch | Stay, recheck breathing, and keep the person warm. | Stops decline while help is on the way. |
Hands-Only CPR: When The Person Isn’t Breathing Normally
If the person isn’t breathing or only gasping, start chest presses right away. Place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest, other hand on top. Lock your elbows and press hard and fast, at a pace of 100–120 a minute and a depth of at least 5 cm for an average adult. Let the chest rise fully between presses. Keep going until an AED is ready or crews take over. If you’re trained and willing, give 2 rescue breaths after each set of 30 presses.
When an AED arrives, turn it on, follow the voice prompts, and attach the pads to bare chest skin. Make sure no one is touching the person during analysis and shock. Resume presses as soon as the device says to do so. For deeper learning, see the AHA CPR overview.
Choking: Adult And Child Over One Year
Ask, “Are you choking?” If the person can cough and breathe, coach them to keep coughing. If air isn’t moving, give up to 5 firm back slaps between the shoulder blades. If that fails, give up to 5 abdominal thrusts. Repeat cycles of back slaps and thrusts until the item comes out or help arrives. If the person goes limp, start chest presses and call for help.
Infant Choking (Under One Year)
Sit and hold the baby face-down along your forearm with the head lower than the body. Give 5 back slaps. Turn the baby face-up, holding the head, and give 5 chest thrusts using two fingers in the center of the chest just below the nipple line. Keep switching between 5 back slaps and 5 chest thrusts. If the baby goes limp, begin CPR for infants.
Bleeding You Can See: Stop It Now
Big blood loss can end a life in minutes. Find the source fast. Press straight down with a clean cloth, gauze, or even a folded shirt. Hold steady pressure without peeking. If you have a hemostatic dressing, use it. If the wound is on a limb and soaking through, place a commercial tourniquet 5–7 cm above the wound, avoiding joints, and tighten until bleeding stops. Note the time. Leave it on until trained crews arrive.
Packing Deep Wounds
For deep, narrow wounds in the armpit or groin where a band can’t go, feed cloth or gauze into the hole and press hard with both hands. Keep pressure until help takes over. If you’ve learned the skill in a class, add a second layer and keep pressing if blood keeps pooling.
Burns: Cool, Cover, Call
Cool the burned skin with cool running water as soon as you can, for up to 20 minutes. Remove rings and tight items before swelling starts. Do not break blisters. Do not smear toothpaste, butter, oils, or powders. After cooling, cover with clean, non-fluffy cloth or plastic wrap. Seek care for large areas, deep burns, face, hands, feet, or groin, or if smoke was breathed in. See the WHO guidance on burns.
Breathing Problems, Chest Pain, And Stroke Signs
If someone wheezes or has severe shortness of breath, help them sit up, loosen tight clothing, and use their own inhaler if they have one. For chest pain that spreads to the arm, neck, or jaw, or comes with clammy skin or nausea, call the emergency number and rest the person while waiting. For stroke, remember FAST: Face droop, Arm weakness, Speech trouble, Time to call for help. Note the time the signs began.
Heat Illness: Cool First, Then Keep Cooling
Move the person to shade. Take off outer layers and start active cooling. Use cool water on skin, fan while misting, or place cold packs at the neck, armpits, and groin. Offer sips of water if they can swallow. If the person is confused, very hot, or stops responding, call your local emergency number and cool aggressively while help is coming.
Safety Checks In Detail
Traffic, falling glass, live wires, smoke, and spilled chemicals all change how you act. If there’s fire or heavy smoke, get low and move the person only if flames or heat make staying put unsafe. With cars, ask a bystander to flag drivers while you work. With electricity, cut power or wait for trained crews; do not touch a person who’s still in contact with a source. With chemicals on skin, rinse with large amounts of clean water, and remove soaked clothing and jewelry while rinsing.
Gloves cut risk to you. If you don’t have them, use a clean plastic bag as a barrier for your hands. Wash your hands with soap and water when you can, or use an alcohol hand rub. Cover any of your own cuts with a bandage before you handle gear again.
When Not To Move Someone
Leave the person where they are if you suspect a spine injury from a fall, crash, or blunt hit. Tell others not to twist the head or neck. If vomit or fluid collects in the mouth, roll the whole body as one onto the side while keeping the head, neck, and back in line. If the area becomes unsafe, move them in a straight pull from the shoulders or clothing without bending the spine.
Table Of Common Problems And What You Can Do
Use this quick guide during an event. Read it now so it’s familiar when stress hits.
| Problem | What You’ll See | What To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Unresponsive, Not Breathing | No normal breath, no response to voice or tap | Start chest presses at 100–120/min; use AED when ready. |
| Severe Bleeding | Pooling blood, soaked clothing | Press hard with cloth; add tourniquet above the wound if on a limb. |
| Choking (Adult/Child) | No air, silent cough, hand at throat | Up to 5 back slaps; then up to 5 abdominal thrusts; repeat. |
| Choking (Infant) | Weak cry, bluish skin, poor air | 5 back slaps; 5 chest thrusts; repeat. |
| Burns | Red, blistered, or charred skin | Cool running water up to 20 minutes; cover; seek care if large or deep. |
| Heat Stroke Signs | Hot skin, confusion, collapse | Call for help; cool fast with water, fans, ice packs. |
| Allergic Reaction | Hives, swelling, wheeze | Use their epinephrine pen; call for help; lay flat if dizzy. |
| Low Blood Sugar | Shaking, sweating, confusion | Give fast sugar if awake (glucose gel, juice); recheck in 15 minutes. |
| Seizure | Jerking, unresponsive | Protect the head, clear objects, time the event; roll to side after. |
| Head Injury | Headache, vomiting, drowsy | Call for help; keep still; watch for worsening signs. |
What To Pack In A Small Kit
A pocket kit beats a giant box you never carry. Start with gloves, a CPR face shield, large gauze pads, rolled bandage, cloth tape, an elastic bandage, a triangular bandage, sterile water ampoules or saline, hand wipes, a mylar blanket, a pen and notepad, glucose gel, and a commercial tourniquet. If space allows, add a hemostatic dressing and tweezers. Check expiry dates twice a year.
Care Notes That Help Clinicians
When crews arrive, short and clear handover saves time. Share what happened, the time it began, medicines you saw nearby, allergies the person told you about, and what you did: “30 minutes of chest presses,” “tourniquet placed at 14:20,” “cooled burn for 15 minutes,” “gave glucose gel.” Hand over used wrappers so teams can see doses and times.
How We Built This Guide
This playbook follows widely taught steps for CPR, choking care, bleeding control, burns, and heat illness. It reflects public guidance from leading groups and recent evidence. If you want deeper reading or a class near you, use the linked resources above. Refresh skills yearly and replace expired gear so you’re ready when it counts.
Next Steps: Make Skills Stick
Read the steps now, then practice with a certified course so your hands know what to do. Add the local emergency number to your phone’s favorites. Place an AED location note at home or work if one is nearby. Keep your kit in the same spot so you can grab it without thinking.