2. First aid is basic knowledge about how to help
people who are suddenly sick (illnesses) or hurt
(injuries or body damage). For example, first aid is
used at accidents to help an injured person until
he receives medical treatment.
First aid is also used to help people who suddenly
become sick, until help arrives or they can be
taken to medical care.
A person does not need a lot of equipment to give
first aid. A package of stuff useful to give first aid is
called a first aid kit. Lives can be saved even
without a first aid kit. First aid can be done just
about anywhere. In places far from hospitals, first
aid may be the only help possible until the person
can be taken to a hospital or clinic.
3. Goals of first aid
Goals of first aid
First aid skills are kept simple on purpose so that people can
remember and use them in an emergency to save at least one life.
One set of goals of first aid – what you want to do – are called the
"Three P's":
Preserve life – stop the person from dying
Prevent further injury – stop the person from being injured even
more. If possible, an injured person should not be moved. First aid
can include how to safely move injured people -- or move them
anyway with less harm if there is no choice.
Promote recovery – try to help the person heal his injuries
4. Another set of goals for keeping a badly hurt person
alive is sometimes called "A-B-C" or "C-A-B"
Circulation (or Compressions)
Airway
Breathing
5. Basic principles, such as knowing to use an
adhesive bandage or applying direct pressure on
a bleed, are often acquired passively through life
experiences. However, to provide effective, life-
saving first aid interventions requires instruction
and practical training. This is especially true where
it relates to potentially fatal illnesses and injuries,
such as those that require cardiopulmonary
resuscitation(CPR); these procedures may be
invasive, and carry a risk of further injury to the
patient and the provider. As with any training, it is
more useful if it occurs before an
actual emergency, and in many countries,
emergency ambulance dispatchers may give
basic first aid instructions over the phone while the
ambulance is on the way.
Training
6. Specific disciplines
There are several types of first aid (and first aider)
which require specific additional training. These are
usually undertaken to fulfill the demands of the work or
activity undertaken.
Aquatic/Marine first aid
Battlefield first aid
Hyperbaric first aid
8. Symbols
Although commonly associated with first aid, the symbol of a red cross is an
official protective symbol of the Red Cross. According to the Geneva
Conventions and other international laws, the use of this and similar symbols is
reserved for official agencies of the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent, and as a protective emblem for medical personnel and facilities in
combat situations. Use by any other person or organization is illegal, and may
lead to prosecution.
The internationally accepted symbol for first aid is the white cross on a green
background shown below.
Some organizations may make use of the Star of Life, although this is usually
reserved for use by ambulance services, or may use symbols such as
the Maltese Cross, like the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps and St John
Ambulance. Other symbols may also be used.
9. ISO First Aid Symbol St. Andrew's First Aid Badge Symbol of the Red Cross
Maltese or Amalfi Cross Star of life
Civil defence
10. First Aid Kits
1. First aid kits may be kept in cloth bags or plastic or metal
boxes. They are often labelled with a symbol such as those on
the upper right. A first aid kit may contain many items, but basic
items that can help with first aid include:
2. Gloves for the helper's hands made of vinyl, latex or nitride to
protect the helper's hands from blood
3. Dressings of cloth that can be put on wounds to stop bleeding,
much like gauze pads or sanitary napkins
4. Bandages of gauze or cloth which hold dressings tightly over
wounds; sometimes these are in rolls
11. •Rolls of tape to hold on dressings and bandages
• Scissors that can be used to cut tape, to open clothing and to make more
bandages and dressings
•CPR masks or barriers to make it sanitary for a helper to breathe into
someone's mouth, which is one part of CPR
•Blanket made of cloth or Mylar ("space blanket") to cover a sick or hurt
person to keep them warm
•A small first aid book which shows how to do first aid and reminds people
who have been trained
•Adhesive strips (a small piece of tape with a bit of cloth in the center),
special dressings such as moleskin for blisters and antiseptic creams for
small wounds
•Tweezers to remove stingers, splinters and thorns