Life-threatening health emergencies can happen at any time. While you should always call 911 and seek professional medical attention for a victim, many times time is of the essence and paramedics are minutes (or much longer) away. If the person is going to live, he cannot wait for a doctor to get to him. They need help now.
That’s where you come in — a family member, a friend, or a random bystander. first first responder?
I spoke to the ICU nurse (and Painful Life member) Jared Shears on the basic survival skills every man should know. While all of these can be performed by ordinary people, Jared highly recommends taking a first aid class in person so you can really get some hands-on practice. Contact your local Red Cross for times and locations for these classes.
How to perform CPR
If someone is unresponsive, has no pulse, and is not breathing, they are probably in cardiac arrest. To prolong their life until an AED (see below) or advanced medical care is available, you will need to perform hands-only CPR (the American Heart Association recommends that untrained bystanders who see someone collapse perform only the chest compression portion of CPR, in addition to the mouth-to-mouth portion).
In Our detailed article on how to recognize and treat a heart attackparamedic Charles Patterson strongly recommends that everyone receive in-person CPR training:
Hands-on training to help you understand the mechanics of CPR and feel for the proper rate and depth of compressions is extremely beneficial and cannot be matched by simply watching a video or reading instructions online. Being able to go through the steps of CPR on a dummy will help you build confidence and stay calm in an emergency.
How to use a defibrillator
In a cardiac arrest emergency, hands-only CPR is performed to prolong life until a shock is delivered by an AED or EMTs arrive. Once a defibrillator is available, use it.
AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator and it shocks the heart to get it back on track.
AEDs are found in most public places such as shops, offices and gyms. While most AEDs provide automated voice instructions when you activate them, as with CPR, Charles recommends getting in-person training from the Red Cross or American Heart Association so you can follow the steps manually and know what it’s like to use the device.
How to perform the Heimlich maneuver
Drowning is the fourth leading cause of death from unintentional injury. Fortunately, with a little know-how, drowning deaths can be prevented. Enter the Heimlich maneuver.
Before performing the Heimlich maneuver, the Red Cross recommends first leaning the person over your arm (put one of your hands under theirs and on their chest) and giving them five firm taps on the back with your other hand. Often the object goes away with just these slaps on the back. But if that doesn’t work, then start the abdominal thrusts dictated by the Heimlich maneuver.
Be sure to read our detailed guide how to perform the Heimlich maneuver in different conditionsincluding pregnant women, obese people, babies, and even dogs.
How to use a Tourniquet
A tourniquet is used to stop severe bleeding and prevent deaths caused by severe blood loss. For many decades, the tourniquet was considered a last resort because it was believed that completely cutting off blood flow to an extremity would result in tissue or nerve damage. However, studies from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown that applying a tourniquet could save lives while having an extremely low chance of causing nerve damage or limb amputation. As a result, many civilian EMTs and doctors recommend that tourniquets be applied more regularly in situations of severe blood loss to prevent deaths. But it is important to know how to use it properly.
For an in-depth guide on how to use a tourniquetsee our article written by Iraq war veteran and Army medic Bruce A. West.
How to save someone from drowning
The first step to saving someone from drowning is recognition what drowning really looks like. The signs can be much less dramatic and obvious than you think.
After you find that a person is drowning, your initial response should not be to jump into the water and try to pull them to land yourself. A drowning person may panic and grab, kick, and grab you as you try to save them, pulling you both under the water. So instead of jumping in yourself, extend a rope, paddle or stick to the victim from shore or a boat. If the victim is too far away for this course of action and you cannot use a boat to get closer, then enter the water yourself, grab the drowning person from behind and physically tow them to safety.
How to treat severe burns
While Minor burns can be treated and treated at homethird degree burns will require professional medical attention. However, prompt care that a burn victim receives before arriving at the hospital can go a long way in mitigating the extent of the damage and reducing the chance that the burns will be fatal.
Burn care varies depending on the type of burn (thermal, chemical, electrical, etc.), and even though on-site treatment is so important, most people don’t know what it involves. Jared directed my attention to this comprehensive and detailed guide how to treat severe burns while you wait for paramedics to arrive. Print it out and study it.
For help remembering things like how to save a drowning person, how to recognize someone having a heart attack (or stroke), along with other lifesaving information, check out these nine mnemonics that are easy and essential to commit to memory.
With 4,000 articles deep in our archives, we decided to repost a classic piece every Sunday to help our younger readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past. This article was originally published in March 2021.
