🩹 GENERAL FIRST AID
When you call 911 what are the THREE most important things you need to tell the operator right away?
Answer: Your address or location, what happened, and whether the person is conscious and breathing. Always stay on the phone and do not hang up until the operator tells you to.
Your friend has been playing basketball outside all afternoon on a hot day. He comes and sits next to you and says he feels dizzy and has a headache. His skin looks pale and sweaty and he feels clammy when you touch his arm. He knows where he is and can talk to you normally. Is this heat exhaustion or heat stroke?
heat exhaustion
You are at home and your 2 year old sister crawls into the kitchen. You find her sitting on the floor with an open bottle of liquid laundry detergent. She has some on her hands and around her mouth. She is awake and acting normal. This is an oral/contact poison.
Answer: Do NOT make her vomit — this can burn her throat worse on the way back up. Wipe her hands and face gently with a damp cloth. Call Poison Control immediately at 1-800-222-1222. Have the bottle ready to read the label to the operator. If she starts vomiting on her own, having trouble breathing, or stops responding, call 911 right away.
100 Scenario: You are at your friend's house and their older brother is sitting in a chair watching TV. You notice he has not moved in a long time and his eyes are closed. You try to talk to him from across the room but he does not answer. What do you do?
Answer: Walk up to him and gently tap his shoulders. Say loudly "Hey, are you okay?" If he still does not respond, check if he is breathing by watching his chest. Then call 911 and tell them you found someone who will not wake up.
You and your friend are playing in the backyard. Your friend trips over a sprinkler and falls down. They are crying and saying their leg really hurts. They are not in any danger where they are. What do you do?
Answer: Tell your friend to stay still and not try to get up. Go inside and get an adult right away. If no adult is home, call 911. Do not try to move or straighten the leg.
Your friend is eating lunch and suddenly cannot speak, cannot cough, and is grabbing at their throat. What is happening and what should you do?
Answer: Your friend is choking. Call 911 immediately or yell for an adult. If an adult is present they may perform the Heimlich maneuver which is a series of firm pushes to the belly just below the ribs to push the object out. Do not try to do this yourself unless you have been trained.
You and your family are at an outdoor festival on a very hot day. An older man nearby suddenly stops talking mid sentence and looks confused. His skin is red, hot, and completely dry even though it is blazing outside. He cannot tell you his name when you ask. Is this heat exhaustion or heat stroke?
Answer: This is heat stroke. His skin is hot and dry meaning he stopped sweating, and he is confused and not responding normally. This is a life threatening emergency. Call 911 immediately. Move him to shade if possible. Cool him down fast with cool water, wet cloths on his neck and armpits, and fan him. Do not give him water since he cannot safely swallow. Stay with him until help arrives.
You and your friend are helping his dad clean out the garage. His dad mixes two different cleaning chemicals together in a bucket. Suddenly there is a strong smell and your friend's dad starts coughing and his eyes are watering badly. He stumbles. This is an inhaled poison.
Answer: Get everyone out of the garage immediately — do not stop to grab anything. Fresh air is the first priority. Once outside call 911 and tell them a man inhaled chemical fumes. Do not go back inside. If he is conscious have him sit upright so he can breathe easier. If he stops responding check his breathing and tell 911 immediately.
You and your cousin are camping. He falls out of a tree and is screaming that his leg hurts. You notice his leg looks crooked. There are no adults at the campsite. What do you do?
Answer: Tell him to stay calm and not move. Do not try to fix or touch the leg. Use a jacket or blanket to keep him warm and comfortable. Call 911 immediately and tell them you are camping and need help. Stay on the phone with them.
You and your cousin are camping. He falls out of a tree and is screaming that his leg hurts. You notice his leg looks crooked. There are no adults at the campsite. What do you do?
Answer: Tell him to stay calm and not move. Do not try to fix or touch the leg. Use a jacket or blanket to keep him warm and comfortable. Call 911 immediately and tell them you are camping and need help. Stay on the phone with them.
You are at home and you cut your hand while helping in the kitchen. It is bleeding but not spurting blood. Should you call 911 or handle it yourself? What do you do?
Answer: This is something you can handle yourself. Press a clean cloth or paper towel firmly on the cut and hold it there without lifting it to peek. Elevate your hand above your heart. Keep pressure on it for several minutes. If the bleeding soaks through keep adding cloth on top. If the bleeding will not stop after 10 minutes or the cut is very deep then call an adult or go to urgent care.
300 Scenario: You are at soccer practice on a very hot afternoon. Your teammate has been running drills for two hours and did not bring enough water. She sits down on the field and starts crying saying she feels sick to her stomach, her head is pounding, and everything is spinning. She is sweating heavily and her skin feels cool and damp. What do you do?
Answer: This is heat exhaustion. Tell your coach immediately. Help her get to a shady cool area and have her lie down with her legs slightly raised. Give her cool water to sip slowly — not all at once. Place cool wet towels on her neck and forehead. Watch her closely. If she stops sweating, becomes confused, or stops responding call 911 right away because it may be turning into heat stroke.
You are camping with your family. In the morning everyone seems fine except your grandfather who is acting confused and has a bad headache. You notice the camping heater has been running all night in the closed tent. He says he feels sick to his stomach.
This is an inhaled poison — carbon monoxide.
Answer: Get your grandfather and everyone else out of the tent immediately and into fresh air. Carbon monoxide has no smell and is very dangerous. Call 911 right away and tell them you think there was carbon monoxide exposure from a heater. Do not go back into the tent. If your grandfather loses consciousness check his breathing and stay on the phone with 911. Turn off the heater if you can do so safely from outside.
300 Scenario: You are at the park and a little kid you do not know falls off the jungle gym. They are crying and cannot stand up. Their leg looks swollen. A busy street is right next to them. What do you do?
Answer: First check if the child is in danger from the street. If they are too close, gently help them scoot away from traffic without moving the injured leg. Then call 911 and look around for a parent or adult nearby.
You are at the park and a little kid you do not know falls off the jungle gym. They are crying and cannot stand up. Their leg looks swollen. A busy street is right next to them. What do you do?
Answer: First check if the child is in danger from the street. If they are too close, gently help them scoot away from traffic without moving the injured leg. Then call 911 and look around for a parent or adult nearby.
You find someone on the ground unconscious. You tap their shoulders and say loudly "hey are you okay" and they do not respond. You check and they are breathing and have a pulse. Should you do CPR? What should you do instead?
Answer: No — do not attempt CPR if they are breathing and have a pulse. CPR is only for someone who is NOT breathing and has NO pulse, and should only be done by someone who has been trained. Instead call 911 immediately, tell them the person is unconscious but breathing, and stay on the phone. If possible gently roll them onto their side into the recovery position so they do not choke if they vomit. Stay with them until help arrives.
You are camping with friends on a hot summer day. One friend has been hiking all day and barely drank any water. Back at camp he suddenly vomits, says he cannot see straight, and when you touch his skin it feels hot and dry even though he has stopped sweating completely. He starts to seem confused and does not know what day it is. What do you do?
Answer: Call 911 immediately — this is heat stroke and it is life threatening. Move him to the coolest spot available. Remove extra layers of clothing. Use any water you have to cool his skin fast, especially his neck, armpits, and wrists. Fan him as much as possible. Do not give him anything to drink since he is confused and could choke. Stay with him and keep cooling him until help arrives. Do not leave him alone for any reason.
You are helping your neighbor who is an elderly woman do some gardening. She asks you to help spray pesticide on the plants. After a while she says her skin is burning where the spray touched her arms. She also feels dizzy and nauseous. This is a contact poison.
Answer: Stop spraying immediately. Help her rinse the affected skin with lots of cool running water for at least 15 minutes — do not scrub, just rinse. Remove any clothing or jewelry the spray touched. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 and describe the pesticide using the label on the bottle. If she gets worse, becomes confused, or has trouble breathing call 911 right away. Do not let her touch her face or eyes before washing hands thoroughly.
You are home alone with your 7 year old sister. She falls down the stairs and is crying hysterically. Her leg is bent in a way that does not look right and there is a small cut with a little blood. What do you do?
Answer: Call 911 right away. Stay calm and talk to your sister to keep her calm. Do not move her or try to straighten the leg. If the cut is bleeding, gently place a clean cloth over it but do not press hard on the leg itself. Wait for help and stay on the phone with 911.
You are home alone with your 7 year old sister. She falls down the stairs and is crying hysterically. Her leg is bent in a way that does not look right and there is a small cut with a little blood. What do you do?
Answer: Call 911 right away. Stay calm and talk to your sister to keep her calm. Do not move her or try to straighten the leg. If the cut is bleeding, gently place a clean cloth over it but do not press hard on the leg itself. Wait for help and stay on the phone with 911.
Look at these four situations. Which ones do you call 911 for and which ones do you handle yourself?
Answer: Call 911 for B and D. An unconscious person who is not breathing and someone having a seizure for the first time are both serious emergencies that need professional help immediately. Handle A and C yourself — clean a small scrape with water and cover with a bandage, and treat a sunburn with cool water and aloe or lotion and have the person drink water and get out of the sun. When in doubt about any situation, it is always better to call 911 than to wait and see.
You are at the park watching your little cousins on a very hot day. A child you do not know, maybe 7 or 8 years old, has been running around for hours. Suddenly she stops, grabs her head, then drops to the ground. She is breathing but will not respond when you say her name and tap her shoulders. Her skin is hot, red, and dry. There are no adults nearby. What do you do?
Answer: Call 911 immediately and tell them a child is unconscious and you think it is heat stroke. Give them your exact location in the park. Start cooling her down right away — pour cool water over her, fan her, and apply wet cloths to her neck, armpits, and wrists. Do not put her in ice cold water as this can cause shock. Do not try to give her anything to drink since she is unconscious. Yell for any nearby adults to come help. Stay on the phone with 911 and do not leave her. Keep your little cousins close so they are safe too.
You come home from school and find your teenage brother lying on the bathroom floor. The room smells strongly of chemicals and there is an open bottle of bleach and another cleaning product nearby. He is breathing but will not respond when you call his name from the doorway. This involves both inhaled and contact poison.
Answer: Do NOT go into the bathroom — the fumes could affect you too. Call 911 immediately from the doorway or hallway. Open any nearby windows you can reach safely to start ventilating the area. Tell the 911 operator there are chemical fumes, your brother is unconscious, and give your address. The operator will guide you. Do not try to drag him out alone unless 911 tells you it is safe to do so — moving him incorrectly could hurt him further. Stay low if you must enter since fumes rise. Unlock the front door for emergency responders.
You and your friend are hiking on a trail far from the parking lot. Your friend slips on wet rocks near a small stream. They cannot move their leg and it looks broken. Your phone has one bar of service. It is starting to get dark and cold. What do you do?
Answer: Stay calm. Try to call 911 immediately even with one bar — if the call drops, text 911 if your area supports it. Do not try to walk your friend out. Use jackets, blankets, or anything you have to keep them warm. Stay with them and keep trying to call for help. If another hiker passes by, ask them to go get help. Do not leave your friend alone.
You and your friend are hiking on a trail far from the parking lot. Your friend slips on wet rocks near a small stream. They cannot move their leg and it looks broken. Your phone has one bar of service. It is starting to get dark and cold. What do you do?
Answer: Stay calm. Try to call 911 immediately even with one bar — if the call drops, text 911 if your area supports it. Do not try to walk your friend out. Use jackets, blankets, or anything you have to keep them warm. Stay with them and keep trying to call for help. If another hiker passes by, ask them to go get help. Do not leave your friend alone.