First Aid

First aid is the help given to a sick or injured person before a doctor can take over. The goal is simple. Keep the person alive, stop the injury from getting worse, and help them feel better until trained medical workers arrive. Anyone can learn the basics, including kids.

The most important step in first aid happens before anyone touches the patient. Check the scene. Is it safe? A road, a fire, or a downed power line can hurt a helper too. If the area is not safe, call for help and wait. A second injured person does not help anyone.

Once the scene is safe, the next step is to call for an adult and call 911. In the United States, 911 connects you to fire trucks, ambulances, and police. The person who answers will ask where you are and what happened. Stay on the phone. They are trained to talk you through what to do next.

Different problems need different help. For a small cut, wash it with clean water, then press a clean cloth on it to stop the bleeding. Cover it with a bandage. For a burn, run cool water over the skin for at least 10 minutes. Do not use ice, and do not pop blisters. For a bee sting, scrape the stinger out with the edge of a card instead of pinching it, which can squeeze in more venom.

Some emergencies are bigger. If a person is choking and cannot speak or cough, an adult can do the Heimlich maneuver, which pushes air up from the belly to pop out whatever is stuck. If a person's heart stops, a method called CPR can keep blood moving to the brain. CPR uses fast, hard pushes on the center of the chest, about 100 to 120 pushes a minute. The beat of the song "Stayin' Alive" is almost exactly the right speed.

Every home should have a first aid kit. A good kit has bandages, gauze, medical tape, scissors, tweezers, antiseptic wipes, and a cold pack. Keeping the kit in the same spot, where everyone can find it, matters as much as what is in it.

You do not need to be a doctor to save a life. In the minutes before an ambulance arrives, the person beside the patient is often the most important helper in the world. Many schools and community centers offer free first aid and CPR classes for kids and families.