Essential First Aid Techniques

Emergency situations are all different. If you know basic first aid you may be able to help someone and quite possibly save their life. Here are a few emergency scenarios and basic first aid instructions that could help you help someone else until emergency help arrives.

First Aid Technique for Injuries

In case a person is injured in the accident, do not move the injured person.

The injured person can be moved only in case of fire or explosion.

If there is no fire or explosion to be concerned about, do not move the person. It can make injuries worse, especially spinal injuries.

If you do have to move someone try to put them on a blanket and pull on the blanket. If you do not have a blanket, try to pull them by their shirt.

First Aid Technique for Bleeding

If an injured person looses too much blood, he might go into shock.

The best way to help the injured person who is bleeding is to apply pressure to the wound using a clean cloth and your hand. If possible, try to elevate the bleeding area above the person's heart.

Do not remove the cloth once the wound has been controlled.

First Aid Technique for Minor Burns

If the victim has a minor burn, run the burn under cold water to flush the wound until the help arrives.

If the victim has clothing stuck to the burn, do not remove it.

Do not apply any kind of soap, ointment or any home remedies to the burn.

Do not touch the burn or attempt to scrub the burn.

If the victim has an electrical burn, do not touch the victim until it is ascertained that the power source is shut off.

Once the power source is shut off, the victim can be touched to see whether he is breathing.

If the person is not breathing, do CPR until help arrives.