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• Introduction to Basic First Aid

Legal Issues Around First Aid

• First aiders need to get permission before helping someone.
• Assumed consent applies if the victim is unresponsive or is a young child with no caregiver.
• Only provide care that you are trained to provide.
• Continue providing care until another trained person takes over, you are too tired, the situation becomes unsafe, or the person no longer needs first aid.

Lowering Risk of Infection

• For the First Aider:
  • Wear gloves, being careful not to touch the outside when removing them.
  • Wash your hands.
  • Use a face mask.
• For the Victim:
  • The first aider should use gloves and a mask.
  • Apply clean, sterile dressings.
  • Check circulation below the injury before and after applying a bandage.
  • If blood soaks through, add more bandages over the existing ones.
  • Monitor open wounds for infection, looking for redness, swelling, or discharge, and seek medical attention if infection is suspected.

Check, Call, Care

• Check
  • Is the scene safe?
  • What happened?
  • Is the person responsive?
  • Check the ABCs: Airway, Breathing, Circulation,
    • Airway - If it's not open, use a head-tilt/chin-lift.
    • Breathing - Watch the chest for 5-10 seconds.
    • Circulation - Quickly check for life-threatening bleeding.
• Call
  • If the person is unresponsive or has a life-threatening condition, call 911.
• Care
  • Care for life-threatening conditions first.
  • Monitor, keep victim comfortable, and put them in the recovery position if necessary.

Shock

• Shock is a life-threatening condition.
• Look for anxiety, confusion, cool clammy skin, pale skin, weakness, rapid breathing, and excessive thirst, nausea/vomiting, drowsiness, or loss of responsiveness. Do not give the victim anything to drink.
• Call 911.
• Treat the suspected cause of shock.
• Provide continued care.

Choking

• If the person can cough or speak, encourage them to cough.
• In case of a blocked airway:
  • Call 911.
  • Alternate between back blows and abdominal thrusts.
    • Back blows: Support the front of the victim and give 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades.
    • Abdominal thrusts: Place your fist above the bellybutton and give 5 quick inward and upward thrusts.
    • Chest thrusts – place your fist in the middle of the victim's chest and pull back quickly 5 times
• For a baby:
  • Sit or kneel with the baby face down on your forearm, supporting their head and give them 5 back blows.
  • Flip the baby over while supporting the head, and use two fingers or knuckles to give 5 chest compressions if the object doesn't come out.
  • Repeat until the object is removed or the baby becomes unresponsive.
• If you are alone, call 911 and perform abdominal thrusts against an item like chair.
• If the victim becomes unresponsive, ensure 911 has been called, and begin CPR.

Circulation Emergencies: Stroke

• Stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted.
• Look for dizziness or confusion, unresponsiveness, and loss of bladder or bowel control.
• FAST: Face (numbness or weakness, especially on one side), Arm (numbness or weakness, especially on one side), Speech (abnormal, loss, difficulty speaking or understanding others), Time (immediate medical attention via 911 is critical).
• Have the person rest and keep track of when the signs and symptoms began.

Circulation Emergencies: Bleeding

• Apply direct pressure.
• Call 911 if the bleeding is hard to stop or control.
• Maintain direct pressure while applying a dressing and bandage.
• If blood soaks through, apply another bandage on top.
• For internal bleeding, look for bruising/pain in the injured area, tenderness, swelling, hard soft tissues, blood in saliva or vomit, severe thirst, nausea, vomiting, and/or anxiety.
• Call 911, and have the victim rest.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

• CPR is used when someone is unresponsive and not breathing.
• Call 911 and get an AED.
• If you are alone and the victim is a child or baby, do five cycles (2 minutes) of CPR before taking the victim with you to call 911 and get an AED.
• To perform CPR:
  • Do 30 chest compressions with hands (or fingers for a baby) in the center of the chest, pushing deep and at a steady rate of 110-120 compressions/minute.
  • Give two breaths by opening the airway, and applying an appropriate barrier device while giving just enough air to make the chest rise.
  • If breaths go in, repeat 30 compressions and two breaths until another trained person takes over, being too tired to continue, or the scene becomes unsafe.
  • If breaths do not go in, reposition head and try another breath, and look in mouth for an object after each set of chest compressions.

AED

• AED dramatically increases the chance of survival.
• Remove the victim from water before use.
• To use:
  • Open, turn it on, and listen to the instructions.
  • Apply pads and follow prompts.
  • Continue CPR.

Breathing Emergencies

• Asthma: Call 911 if necessary.
  • Move person away from possible triggers
  • If available, help them take their medication (inhaler).
    • Shake inhaler and remove cap
    • Inhale, taking a full, slow breath.
    • Hold breath as long as comfortable
• Anaphylaxis - Call 911:
  • If available, help victim use their epinephrine auto-injector.
    • Remove the cap.
    • Firmly push the tip into the thigh until you hear a click, and hold for 5-10 seconds.
    • Rub injection site for 30 seconds.
    • If condition does not improve within 5 minutes, repeat the dose.
    • Have victim rest quietly until help arrives.

Burns

• Call 911 and get an AED if the burn:
  • Makes it difficult to breathe.
  • Was caused by chemicals, explosions, or electricity.
  • Is full thickness or includes a large amount of broken skin or blisters.
  • Covers the hands, face, neck, genitals, or a large area.
• Care:
  • Cool the area for at least 10 minutes.
  • Remove jewellery and clothing from the burn site (unless it is stuck).
  • Cover the burn with a loose, dry, sterile dressing.

Burns Continued

• Chemical burns
  • Put on protective equipment
  • Brush chemicals from skin, and remove clothing with chemicals on them.
  • Flush areas with cool water for at least 15 minutes.
• Electrical burns
  • Make sure that the electrical current has been turned off.
  • Help victim keep still.
  • Look for (and treat) two burns – entry and exit points.
  • Monitor ABCs closely.

Impaled Objects

• Call 911.
• Leave the object in place.
• Stabilize the object without putting pressure on it.
• Secure dressings in place.

Head, Neck, and Spinal Injuries

• Suspect a head, neck, or spinal injury if there is a fall from a height, a diving injury, a victim found unresponsive for unknown reasons, strong blow to torso, head, or jaw, or if the victim was electrocuted or struck by lightning.
• Look for:
  • Severe pain/pressure in the head, neck, or back.
  • Blood or other fluids from the ears or nose.
  • Bruises around the eyes and behind the ears.
  • Seizures.
  • Nausea or vomiting.
  • Unequal pupil size or impaired vision or breathing.
  • Loss of bladder or bowel control.
  • Partial or complete loss of movement of a body part.
  • Changes in behaviour, awareness, or responsiveness.
  • Dizziness/loss of balance.
  • Weakness, loss of sensation, or tingling.
• Call 911 and get an AED.
• Keep the victim as still as possible – if they are unresponsive, support their head in the position found.

Eye Injuries

• Call 911: if there is an object impaled in or near the eye, if the eye is out of the socket, or if there is a chemical in the eye.
• If there is something in the eye, but not impaling it.
  • Ask the victim to blink.
  • Flush the eye gently with running water.
  • Get medical attention if the object hasn't been expelled.
• If there is a chemical in the eye, gently flush the eye for at least 15 minutes, with the water running away from the unaffected eye.

Bone, Muscle, and Joint Injuries

• Call 911 if:
  • The injury is to the pelvis or thigh bone.
  • The area below the injury is numb cold, pale, or blue.
  • Bone is protruding through skin.
  • It is impossible to move the victim safely.
• Care: RICE
  • Rest
  • Immobilize
  • Cool
  • Elevate.

Sudden Medical Emergencies

• Diabetic:
  • If the victim can safely swallow, have them eat sugar.
  • Call 911 if victim is not fully awake, the victim has a seizure, or the condition doesn't improve within 10 minutes of having sugar.
• Seizures:
  • Call 911 if you do not know the victim's medical history, the seizure lasts more than a few minutes, the victim has several seizures in a row, or if the victim is unresponsive for a prolonged period.
  • Protect the victim from injury.
  • Do not hold them down.
  • Roll the victim into the recovery position – may be drowsy/disoriented for up to 20 minutes

Types of Wounds

• The main purpose of first aid care for wounds is controlling bleeding and preventing infection.
• Types of wounds:
  • Abrasion: Scrape on the skin.
  • Incision: Cut or injury by sharp object.
  • Laceration: Jagged irregular injury with tearing.
  • Puncture: Wound caused by a sharp, pointed object.
  • Avulsion: Tissue torn or separated from the body.
  • Amputation: Body part cut off.