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First Aid

When to call 911?

Section titled “When to call 911?”

If you answer yes or unsure of the answers, call 911 or OPP in Ontario or your local emergency number

  • Is the victim’s condition life threatening
  • Could the condition get worse and become life threatening on the way to hospital
  • Does the victim need professional medical attention/equipment
  • Would distance/traffic delay arrival to hospital
  • Could moving the victim cause further injury
  • Do you suspect a spinal injury

Serious conditions which 911 should be called

Section titled “Serious conditions which 911 should be called”
  • Fainting or loss of consciousness
  • Chest or abdominal pain/pressure
  • Sudden dizziness, weakness, or change in vision
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Severe/persistent vomiting
  • Suicidal/homicidal feelings
  • Bleeding that does not stop after 10-15 minutes of pressure
  • Gaping wound with edges that do not come together
  • Problems with movement or sensation following an injury (nerve/muscle damage)
  • Hallucinations and clouding of thoughts
  • Stiff neck in association with a fever/headache
  • Bulging or abnormally depressed fontanelle (soft spot) in infants
  • Stupor or dazed behaviour accompanying a high fever.
  • Unequal pupil size, loss of consciousness, blindness, staggering, or repeated vomiting after a head injuring
  • Spinal injuries
  • Severe burns
  • Poisoning
  • Drug overdoses

Applying SAMPLE to a Daily Fatigue Case

Section titled “Applying SAMPLE to a Daily Fatigue Case”

Description followed by Q & A

  • S = Signs/symptoms
    • What’s wrong?
    • Feeling tired, fatigue, mild headache
  • A = Allergies
    • Do you have allergies?
    • None, sometimes seasonal
  • M = Medications
    • Are you taking any medications or recently taken any other substances you don’t normally take?
    • None, in the last two days, did drink caffeinated drinks in afternoon. Today none
  • P = Past medical history
    • Have you had this problem before?
    • Yes, sometimes, usually due to lack of sleep but today I have much sleep in the last 3 days
    • Do you have other medical problems?
    • None
  • L = Last oral intake
    • When did you last eat/drink?
    • Breakfast and lunch (10am, 12:30pm)
  • E = Events leading to injury
    • What were you doing before the illness started?
    • Sleeping, when I awoke today, I continued to feel more tired than normal despite waking up at a regular time.

First Aid Framework from Red Cross

Section titled “First Aid Framework from Red Cross”

Survival

First Aid for Environmental Emergencies

Section titled “First Aid for Environmental Emergencies”

from Ontario Emergency Preparedness training 2023-07-28

Hypothermia

Section titled “Hypothermia”

Signs:

  • Dizziness
  • Shivering
  • Nausea
  • Hunger
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Lack of coordination

Treatment

  • Alert people to help
  • Handle gently and warm slowly.
  • Move to a warm dry place if possible.
  • Remove wet clothing.
  • Wrap the person in a blanket.
  • Transfer heat through skin-on-skin contact.
  • Warm drinks can help raise body temperature (no alcohol or caffeine).
  • Monitor breathing and provide CPR if necessary.

Heat

Section titled “Heat”

  1. Heat Cramps

    Signs:

    • Inadequate consumption of fluids or electrolytes
    • Strenuous physical activity
    • Hot environment
    • Cramping muscles

    Treatment:

    • Stop what you are doing and move somewhere cool
    • Hydrate with fluids such as water, juice or sports drinks.
    • Stretch or massage muscles of the affected areas.

  2. Heat Exhaustion

    Signs:

    • Heavy sweating
    • Weakness
    • Paleness
    • Cramps
    • Tiredness
    • Nausea or vomiting
    • Dizziness
    • Headache

    Treatment:

    • Alert people to help
    • Stop what you are doing and lie down in a cool location.
    • Remove any extra clothing and cool down with cold water, a bath, spray or fan.
    • Hydrate

  3. Heat Stroke

    Life threatening

    Signs:

    • An absence of sweating with hot red or flushed dry skin
    • Strange or erratic behaviour
    • High body temperature
    • Disorientation
    • Rapid pulse
    • Seizure or coma
    • Difficulty breathing

    Treatment:

    • Call 9-1-1 immediately
    • Cool yourself or the affected person by immersing in water.
    • Place ice against the groin, arm-pits, and sides of the neck.

Opoid Overdose

Section titled “Opoid Overdose”

Naloxone kits are available free from pharmacies in Ontario to people who care for people taking opioids.

Standard First Aid and CRP Full Course 2021-12

Section titled “Standard First Aid and CRP Full Course 2021-12”

Online pre-training

Section titled “Online pre-training”
  1. Log into My Red Cross https://myrc.redcross.ca/en. You already have a My Red Cross account. You last logged in using your Microsoft social account, so please log in using the same method. Using a different access method will create duplicate profiles and will not allow you to access your course or certification information.
  2. Navigate to “MY PROFILE –> My Online Courses”.
  3. Activate the course in the language of your choice.
  4. Begin your training.

Standard First Aid and CRP 2019

Section titled “Standard First Aid and CRP 2019”

Inspiring real life stories of CPR

Section titled “Inspiring real life stories of CPR”

From February 14, 2016, January 6, 2019 Heart 2 Heart Courses

Check, Call, Care

Section titled “Check, Call, Care”

What are the requirements for disease transmission?

  • Presence of germs
  • Enough germs
  • Opening in body
  • Weak immune system
  • Check - “no fire, no wire, no gas, no glass, no bugs, no thugs, no drugs, no wife, no knife”
  • Call - emergency, police, &/or fire services
  • Care - require consent, implied consent for children and unconscious people
  1. Primary survey (ABC)
  2. Secondary survey - SAMPLE - signs & symptoms, allergies, medication, past history, last meal, event.
    1. Vitals
    2. Head to toe exam, can be hands off
  3. Rest

Allergic Reaction / Anaphylaxis

Section titled “Allergic Reaction / Anaphylaxis”
  • Inhale, ingest, inject
  • First Aid (FA): EPIpen, 10-15 mins of effect. Apply blue to sky, white to thigh and hold for 10 seconds
  • Main causes: seafood, bees, nuts
  • Airway danger - call EMS

Asthma

Section titled “Asthma”
  • Constricted airways, “hard to breathe”
  • FA: help administer medication (puffer). Spacer is optional, may be used for children
    • Rest & relax

5 rights of medication: Amount, medication, person, method, time

Health Care Provider CPR

Section titled “Health Care Provider CPR”

  1. Infant

    • Check, call, care
    • Brachial pulse
    • CPR: 30 compressions / 2 breaths
    • 2 rescuer: thumbs only CPR: 15 comp. / 2 breaths
    • Rescue breathing: 1 breath / 3 seconds, check circulation/pulse

Bleeding

Section titled “Bleeding”

Arterial blood is dark Vein is light For Bleeding - RED = rest, expose, direct pressure to wound/bleeding

  • Bandages:

    • Triangular bandage, folder height wise, than folder in halves length wise until you have a “pressure bandage”. Store all bandages as “pressure bandages” to allow easy application to wounds.
    • When doing splints, triangular bandages are “point to joint” X

  • Internal bleeding - signs: discolouration, blood in body openings

  • Shock - Low O2, circulatory issue, low breathing and consciousness

  • Shock position (lying down, elevated feet, warm) - experienced by observers

  • Dressing = soak blood = Bandage = secure dressing

Amputation

Section titled “Amputation”
  • Bandage and recovery body part, ice it
  • Stop bleeding

Wounds

Section titled “Wounds”
  • Clean, disinfect, dressing. Cover and bandage.
  • Signs: tenderness, swelling
  • RICE for closed wounds (rest, ice, compression, elevation). 20 mins / hour
  • RICE - first aid = rest, immobilize, cool, elevate; RICE - medical = rest, ice, mpress, elevate
  • Embedded objects: leave as is, dress around them.
  • Open wounds - watch for signs, “flesh eating bacteria”
  • Even for minor scrapes, mark to check progression
  • Stitches for wounds > 1 inch, help close wound.
  • Nose bleed - head forward, pinch nose, should only be 10-15 minutes, let bleed t and clot outside.
  • Knocked out tooth - use milk for storage, get to dentist for emergency within 1 ur. Gauze on tooth
  • Eye - wash, know chemical and call if needed
  • Crush injuries - treat shock, signs: deformities. Crushing object can be left on

Burns

Section titled “Burns”
  • Partial thickness: dangerous due to the fluid loss from blisters, causes shock
  • Full thickness - nerve, blood is destroyed, may have no feelings

See Also

Section titled “See Also”