Category: Health & Safety

⚡ First Aid Basics: What Everyone Should Know

First aid is the immediate care provided before emergency professionals arrive or until the person can receive appropriate medical treatment.

You do not need to diagnose the problem or perform advanced procedures. Focus on protecting yourself, calling for help, supporting breathing, controlling serious bleeding, and preventing the situation from getting worse.

Make Sure the Scene Is Safe

Before approaching, look for:

Traffic
Fire or smoke
Electricity
Chemicals or fumes
Violence
Water
Unstable structures
Falling objects
Drug residue or needles
Animals

Do not enter an unsafe area. Call 911 and wait for trained responders.

If the scene is safe, use disposable gloves or another barrier when blood or body fluids are present.

Get Permission to Help

If the person is awake:

Introduce yourself.
Explain that you want to help.
Ask for permission before touching them.
Tell them what you plan to do.
Respect their decisions when they can understand and communicate them.

If the person is unconscious, confused, or experiencing a life-threatening emergency, consent to necessary first aid is generally assumed.

Call 911 When

The person is unconscious.
Breathing is absent or abnormal.
Severe difficulty breathing is present.
A heart attack or stroke is possible.
Serious bleeding is present.
The person is choking and cannot breathe or speak.
A severe allergic reaction is occurring.
A seizure lasts five minutes or longer.
A serious head, neck, back, chest, abdomen, or pelvic injury occurred.
Poisoning or overdose is possible.
A major burn occurred.
The person has severe confusion.
The person may harm themselves or someone else.
You are unsure whether the condition is life-threatening.

Give the dispatcher your location, describe what happened, and follow all instructions.

Check Responsiveness and Breathing

Call the person’s name.
Tap an adult’s shoulder.
Ask, “Are you okay?”
Look for normal breathing for no more than 10 seconds.

Gasping, gurgling, or occasional irregular breaths are not normal breathing.

If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally:

Call 911.
Begin CPR.
Send someone to get an AED.
Use the AED as soon as possible.
Continue until emergency professionals take over.

Perform Hands-Only CPR

For a teen or adult who suddenly collapses:

Place the person on a firm, flat surface.
Place both hands in the center of the chest.
Keep your shoulders over your hands.
Push hard and fast.
Give 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
Allow the chest to rise fully after each compression.
Minimize interruptions.

If you are trained in conventional CPR, use cycles of 30 compressions and 2 breaths.

Rescue breaths are especially important for infants, children, drowning, overdose, choking, and breathing-related cardiac arrest.

Use an AED

Turn on the AED.
Expose and dry the chest.
Attach the pads as shown.
Make sure no one is touching the person.
Allow the AED to analyze the heart.
Deliver a shock only when instructed.
Resume CPR immediately.
Continue following the device’s prompts.

An AED will deliver a shock only when it detects an appropriate heart rhythm.

Control Serious Bleeding

Call 911.
Expose the wound.
Cover it with clean gauze or cloth.
Apply firm, continuous pressure.
Add more material if blood soaks through.
Do not remove the original dressing.
Use a commercial tourniquet for life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg when pressure does not work or cannot be applied.

Do not remove an embedded object. Apply pressure around it and keep it stable.

Respond to Choking

If the person can cough forcefully or speak:

Encourage continued coughing.
Stay nearby.
Watch for worsening symptoms.

If the person cannot speak, cough effectively, or breathe:

Call 911.
Give five back blows.
Give five abdominal thrusts.
Continue until the object comes out or the person becomes unresponsive.

Use chest thrusts for a pregnant person or someone you cannot reach around.

For an infant, use five back blows and five chest thrusts. Do not use abdominal thrusts.

If the person becomes unresponsive, begin CPR.

Respond to a Seizure

Move dangerous objects away.
Protect the person’s head.
Do not restrain them.
Do not put anything in their mouth.
Time the seizure.
Place them on their side after the movements stop.
Check breathing.
Stay until they recover.

Call 911 if the seizure lasts five minutes, repeats, causes injury, occurs in water, or is the person’s first known seizure.

Respond to a Severe Allergic Reaction

Signs of anaphylaxis may include:

Difficulty breathing
Throat tightness
Swelling of the lips or tongue
Widespread hives
Repeated vomiting
Severe dizziness
Fainting

If prescribed epinephrine is available:

Use it immediately.
Call 911.
Note the time.
Give a second dose when directed if symptoms continue.
Monitor breathing.
Begin CPR if needed.

Antihistamines and asthma inhalers do not replace epinephrine during anaphylaxis.

Treat a Minor Burn

Cool the burn under cool or lukewarm running water for approximately 20 minutes.
Remove jewelry before swelling begins.
Cover the burn loosely with a sterile nonstick dressing.
Do not break blisters.

Do not use:

Ice
Butter
Oil
Toothpaste
Grease
Household remedies

Call 911 for large, deep, electrical, chemical, airway, facial, or life-threatening burns.

Handle a Possible Broken Bone

Keep the area still.
Support it in the position found.
Remove rings or tight jewelry.
Apply a cold pack wrapped in cloth.
Check circulation below the injury.
Do not straighten a deformed limb.
Do not push exposed bone back inside.
Do not force the person to walk.

Call 911 for open fractures, severe deformity, loss of circulation, or possible head, spine, pelvis, or hip injuries.

Handle a Possible Head or Spinal Injury

Call 911 for serious symptoms.
Keep the person still.
Support the head and neck.
Do not remove a helmet.
Do not move the person unless the location is dangerous, CPR is required, or the airway must be protected.
Monitor breathing and responsiveness.

Emergency signs include repeated vomiting, severe headache, worsening confusion, unequal pupils, seizures, weakness, slurred speech, or difficulty waking.

Respond to Poisoning

Call 911 for unconsciousness, seizures, or breathing problems.
Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Save the container or label.
Follow professional instructions.
Move away from fumes when safe.
Flush exposed skin or eyes as directed.

Do not make the person vomit or give food, drinks, or home remedies unless instructed.

Prevent and Treat Shock

Shock can occur after severe bleeding, injury, burns, allergic reactions, or other emergencies.

Possible signs include:

Pale, cool, or clammy skin
Rapid breathing
Weak or rapid pulse
Confusion
Dizziness
Severe weakness
Loss of consciousness

While waiting for help:

Keep the person lying down when safe.
Keep them warm.
Do not give food or drinks.
Control bleeding.
Monitor breathing.
Reassure them.

Do Not Give Food, Drinks, or Medication When

The person is unconscious.
Swallowing is difficult.
A stroke may be occurring.
Surgery or sedation may be needed.
A serious head or abdominal injury occurred.
Poisoning is possible.
The person is vomiting repeatedly.

Anything placed in the mouth of an unconscious or severely confused person can cause choking.

Build a First Aid Kit

Include:

Disposable gloves
Sterile gauze
Adhesive bandages
Medical tape
Nonstick dressings
Elastic bandages
Trauma shears
Tweezers
Cold packs
CPR face shield
Commercial tourniquet
Emergency blanket
Saline
Thermometer
First aid instructions
Emergency contact information
Personal medication and supplies

Check expiration dates and replace used or damaged supplies.

A kit is most useful when you also know how to use its contents.

Helpful Resources: Browse First Aid Kits for products, equipment, services, or supplies related to this section.

Quick First Aid Checklist

Make sure the scene is safe.
Use gloves or a barrier.
Ask permission when possible.
Call 911 for serious symptoms.
Check responsiveness and breathing.
Begin CPR if breathing is not normal.
Use an AED as soon as possible.
Control serious bleeding with firm pressure.
Do not restrain someone having a seizure.
Use epinephrine for anaphylaxis.
Do not move a possible spinal injury unnecessarily.
Do not give anything by mouth to an unconscious person.
Stay until emergency professionals arrive.

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Important Health & Safety Notice

The information in this guide is provided for general educational purposes only. Independence Answers is not a medical provider, and this content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or supervision. Always follow the instructions of your doctor, pharmacist, or other qualified healthcare professional, especially if you have a medical condition, take medication, or are unsure whether an action is safe for you.

Do not ignore or delay seeking professional care because of something you read here. If you believe someone may be experiencing a serious or life-threatening emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

Want to build your basic first-aid knowledge?

Alison is an online learning platform offering free courses across a wide range of practical and professional subjects. Alison’s free Basic First Aid Training course provides beginner-friendly instruction on responding to common injuries and medical emergencies, including assessing an emergency, CPR and AED basics, choking, bleeding, burns, seizures, allergic reactions, and using basic first-aid supplies.

Explore Alison’s Basic First Aid Training course →